Dirty Little Secret
by DaLiza
Summary: When Brennan's bad seed boyfriend is murdered, Booth becomes the prime suspect and his feelings for his partner are put on trial.
1. Chapter 1

_I should be sorry that's he dead, _Booth thought when Detective Carter brought him in for questioning._ He was, after all, a human being, and every human life is sacred in the eyes of God, right? On the other hand, he was a worthless, miserable drain on humanity. You could argue that he deserved to die. _A voice in the back of his mind added: _Of course, you probably wouldn't hate him so much if he hadn't been dating your partner._

Carter, an older, balding man who looked like he hadn't slept in days, stared at him from across the interrogation table, sizing him up. _Do I look like that when I'm about to question someone? _Booth wondered. _It's so strange to be on this side of the table, having to answer questions instead of asking them. _He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but he knew that would be a bad idea. _You're being questioned about a murder, _he reminded himself. _You need to look sad._

"Thanks for coming in, Agent Booth," Carter began. He sounded civil enough, but Booth didn't buy it. "I appreciate your cooperation in this matter. So, how long had you known the victim, Nathan Spencer?"

"Not long." Booth counted the days in his head. "About three and a half weeks."

"And how did you meet him?"

"My partner and I were investigating the murder of Timothy Daniels. Mr. Spencer was one of his co-workers, and so we interviewed him in the course of our investigation." Booth made himself stop and take a deep breath before continuing. _Carter's trying to get a read on you, so don't sound bitter when you say what happened next. _"Shortly after our investigation ended, my partner and Nathan Spencer began dating."

"I see. How did you feel about that?"

_I hated it. I knew in my gut that something was off about him, but Bones didn't listen. Seeing them together made me sick. When I saw him touch her, I wanted to tear his arms off...Okay, calm down. You say that to Carter and he'll charge you with murder right now. _"Fine. My partner has the right to date whoever she wants."

Carter didn't appear to be convinced. "So you're saying that you had no problem with their relationship?"

"Well, I was a little..." _Don't say jealous. Don't say jealous. _"...concerned. Bones...that is, Dr. Brennan, doesn't have the best judgment when it comes to men. This one guy she dated turned out to be an axe murderer who chopped his brother's head off."

"Was Spencer an axe murderer too? Is that why you interrogated him last night?"

Booth fought to keep his expression neutral. "Last night I received a call from a fellow agent, Jim Ryan. He told me that a woman's body had been found. She'd been raped and strangled. The woman had been identified as Melissa Kincaid. Melissa's family believed that her ex-boyfriend was responsible."

"Nathan Spencer was her ex?"

Booth clenched his fists, remembering the anger that had consumed him last night upon learning his partner's boyfriend was a murder suspect. Most of his anger was directed at himself. He had known this guy was no good; why hadn't he pushed her harder to break up with him? She would be furious with him for trying to interfere in her personal life, but so what? He had promised himself that he would always keep her safe. Feeling Carter's eyes studying him, he forced his emotions to the far corners of his mind. "Yes."

"So you brought him in for questioning?"

"Yes, but we didn't have any hard evidence against him so I had to let him go." _The bastard smiled at me when he left._ _He bragged that he had another date with Bones tomorrow._

"What time did this interrogation end?"

"About 10:30 P.M."

"What did you do then?"

"I went to my partner's apartment to tell her what happened. She was understandably upset, and I did my best to comfort her. We talked for about an hour, then she went to bed."

"Did you join her there?"

_Oh yeah, telling someone their boyfriend may be a killer is a great way to jumpstart a romantic evening. After she cried on my shoulder, I kissed her tears away and we made passionate love until the sun came up. In my dreams, maybe. _"No."

"So you went home then?"

"No. I...I wanted to be there for her in case Spencer tried to hurt her, so I sat in my car outside her apartment building."

"For the whole night?"

"Yes."

"I don't suppose you have any witnesses who can support your story?"

_It was a stake-out, not a block party. _"No. It was just me."

Carter motioned to a file folder that lay on the table in front of him. "I've read your file, Agent Booth. Given your military experience, I find it hard to believe that you would just sit around if you thought your partner's life was in danger. Let me tell you what I think happened. You wanted to protect Dr. Brennan, so after leaving her apartment, you tracked down Mr. Spencer and shot him. No one in their right mind could say the bastard didn't get what was coming to him. Personally, I think you did the city a favor."

_He's trying to bond with me. Does he really expect me to come out and say "Gee thanks! I'm so glad someone understands why I had to kill that s.o.b." Do I look that stupid? _"Someone did the city a favor, but it wasn't me. I didn't kill him."

"So you're in the habit of making empty threats then?"

"What are you talking about?"

Carter smirked at him. "I have a witness who overheard you talking to Mr. Spencer after your interrogation. According to the witness, you said, 'I swear to God, Spencer, if you hurt her I will fucking kill you.' Do you deny saying this?"

_Crap! _"No. I said it. I wanted to scare him." _It worked on Ortez, _he thought, remembering with satisfaction how he had shoved his gun into the gang leader's mouth._ Of course, if Ortez had really hurt her, I wouldn't have hesitated to kill him. The things I said to Ortez and Spencer weren't empty threats; they were promises._

"Forgive me if I'm skeptical, Agent Booth, but it seems awfully coincidental that a few hours after you threatened to kill Nathan Spencer he ended up dead."

"If you've read my file, you know that my service record is one of the best in the Bureau. I don't kill murderers; I put them in prison. That's my job and I do it very well. I wanted to put Spencer in prison, too."

"But you said yourself that you didn't have any evidence against him; you had to let him go. Maybe I was wrong earlier. You didn't kill Spencer to protect your partner. You did it because letting him go was an insult to your professional pride. You don't care about Dr. Brennan at all, just your career."

If Carter wasn't a cop, Booth would have hit him. _Accusing me of a murder I didn't commit is one thing, but saying I don't care about Bones...that's inexcusable. _A torrent of rage surged through him, overpowering the self-control he had exercised thus far. "NO! Bones is more than a partner to me. She's my best friend and I would do anything for her." He regretted his outburst immediately._ He just said that to get a reaction. I can't believe I let him get to me._

A knowing grin spread across Carter's face. "I believe that you care about her, Agent Booth. I believe she's more than a partner... more than a friend even. In fact, I think you're secretly in love with her. Sounds like a perfect motive for murder."

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks to CalleighAryn and Mare for offering wonderful suggestions on the early drafts of this chapter, and thanks again to all those who reviewed the first chapter.**

_Lie to him. Tell him he's wrong_. _Tell him that you haven't been in love with your partner for the past two years. __That you don't dream about her every night. That you don't live for those moments when she reaches out to you, when she touches you or lets you hold her. Tell him that you are just friends, and you've never wished for anything more._

"Are you still with me, Agent Booth?" Carter snapped. "Are you going to deny that you have feelings for Dr. Brennan?"

_Stay calm. Don't let him get to you again. _"My feelings for Dr. Brennan are irrelevant. I didn't kill Nathan Spencer."

Carter opened Booth's file, seeing again the long list of military honors. "You seem like one of the good guys, Booth; I wish I could believe you. Yet, by your own admission, you threatened to kill him and you have an alibi no one can confirm. I have no choice but to place you under arrest."

Carter read him his rights, but Booth wasn't listening. _I've Mirandized_ _hundreds of people, probably more than you have. I know my damn rights. This is unbelievable! I wanted to kill him, but I didn't. Someone else beat me to it._

As he sat in a holding cell, his mind taunted him with worst-case scenarios. _What if I go to jail? Parker will come to accept Rebecca's boyfriend as his father. Bones will get a new FBI partner. Some stranger will be working beside her. Will he be as dedicated to her as I am? Will he make sure she leaves the lab at a decent hour and gets something to eat?_ _Will he be there to comfort and protect her? _He shook his head forcibly. _Stop it! This is nonsense. You didn't do anything wrong. They won't find any evidence against you because there's nothing to find. The truth will come out and you'll be vindicated._

Eventually the sound of approaching footsteps pulled him away from his thoughts. Bones was here to rescue him.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Thanks for posting my bail, Bones," Booth said as he sat in the passenger seat of her luxury car. He was so happy to be by her side again that he didn't mind not driving.

"They had no right to arrest you," she said angrily. "Your record with the Bureau is exemplary, and there's no forensic evidence tying you to Nathan's murder."

"I'm sorry about Nathan." _I'm not sorry that he's dead, but I'm sorry that another one of your relationships has ended badly. You deserve so much better. _"How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. Really. It's sad when someone dies, of course, but our relationship was mostly physical. I was never emotionally attached to him."

Booth was both disgusted at the thought of that bastard sleeping with his Bones and depressed by the idea that she might never open her heart to anyone. He didn't know what to say, so he said nothing.

As Booth sat in silence, Brennan realized that it was up to her to keep the conversation going. "How could that detective even think you were involved in Nathan's death? It's completely ridiculous."

Booth shifted guiltily in his seat. He had to tell her; it would come out sooner or later anyway. "There was a witness who heard me threatening him. I told him that if he hurt you I'd kill him."

"You threatened him?" She took one hand off the wheel to hit him. "BOOTH! Why would you do that? I'm not some damsel in despair. I can take care of myself!"

"It's 'damsel in distress' Bones, and I know you can take care of yourself. You're the strongest person I know. But what kind of partner- what kind of friend- would I be if I didn't want to look out for you? If Spencer was even thinking about hurting you, I hoped that my threat would scare him off. I'm not sorry I did it, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you."

Brennan's anger slowly evaporated. " I shouldn't be mad at you for caring about my safety. After all, if it wasn't for you, Kenton would have killed me. You were doing what you thought was necessary to protect me..." She trailed off as a new thought struck her. "You said you'd do it again. Have you done this before? Threatened someone who you thought would hurt me?"

Booth thought of Ortez. He had never told her that threatening him was the reason he had been late to the funeral. He hadn't planned on ever telling her, but he couldn't lie to her now. "Yes, I have."

"Who?"

"Ortez, the leader of Mara Muerte. After you attacked him in the FBI building, he put a hit out on you. I told him I'd kill him if you got hurt."

"I should have known he would want revenge." Suddenly it all made sense to her. "That's why you were late that day. That was the thing you had to do that was more important than a funeral...You saved my life again and I didn't even know it. Why didn't you tell me?"

Booth's voice was soft and gentle, very un-Alpha male. "I didn't want you to worry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept that from you."

Brennan pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the car. She turned to face him and touched his shoulder. "It's okay, Booth. There are things I've kept from you, too. I never told you the reason why I attacked Ortez. It was because he reminded me of someone...someone who held me captive in El Salvador and told me every day that he was going to kill me."

Booth's heart stopped for a few seconds as her words sunk in. "Oh God, Bones. I'm so sorry. I wish I had known you then. I wish I had been there for you."

"It's okay. You're here now."

"Here to stay," he replied. He looked at her hopefully. "Guy hug?"

Brennan wrapped her arms around him and felt him do the same. She was tempted to stay like this, to let herself enjoy his warmth, but she knew there was work to be done. Reluctantly she backed away from him. "We're going to find Nathan's killer and clear your name." She saw disappointment in his eyes. "What's wrong? Don't you want to find the real killer?"

"Of course I do. We should start with Melissa Kincaid's family. It's possible that one of her relatives killed him. But that can wait a few minutes. I've... had a rough day, Bones, so for the moment I'd like to keep holding you."

"Thank you," he whispered into her hair when her arms were around him again. He would worry about the mess he was in later. Right now he intended to enjoy this moment.

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks again to CalleighAryn for looking over this chapter for me, and to all those who reviewed the second chapter. I'm going to Washington DC for a week to visit a friend/celebrate my birthday- I'm so excited to see the FBI building!-so I won't be able to start Ch. 4 until next week.**

"Are you here about my daughter or the sonofabitch who killed her?" Jonathan Kincaid asked when Booth and Brennan came to his door. Booth pitied him immediately. Kincaid's graying hair looked like it hadn't seen a brush in days. His clothes were dirty and there were large bags under his eyes, eyes that were red from crying. _Or drinking_, Booth thought, noting that he was holding a beer bottle in his hand. _I can't say I blame him. If anything happened to Parker, I'm sure I would fall apart too. _He took a deep breath to clear his head. _I'm here to question him, not console him._

Booth flashed his badge. "Sir, I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth, and this is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan. We'd like to ask you some questions about your daughter and Nathan Spencer. May we come in?"

"Alright." Kincaid moved out of the doorway to allow them room to enter. He closed the door behind them and led them to his living room. Along the way Brennan tripped on a pair of shoes, but Booth caught her before she fell. He held onto her a few seconds longer than necessary.

"You can let me go now, Booth."

"Sorry," he said as he released her. _Nicely done, Booth. I should just hang a sign around my neck: "Hi, I'm Seeley Booth and I'm hot for my partner."_

"This place is a mess," Brennan said a little too loudly as she took in the various piles of clothes, shoes, books and other things strewn across the floor.

"I should have warned you about that," Kincaid said as he motioned for them to sit down on a well worn couch. He sat across from them. "I haven't really been in the mood to clean up after myself lately."

"It's okay. We're sorry about Melissa, Mr. Kincaid," Booth said.

"Not as sorry as I am," he answered bitterly.

"I know this must be painful for you, but anything you could tell us about Melissa and Nathan's relationship would be very helpful."

Kincaid took a picture of his daughter off a nearby table, gazing at it as he spoke. "Melissa was my only child, Agent Booth. Her mom died a couple years ago, so Melissa was all I had left. She was the reason I woke up in the morning. She was my light in the darkness... my whole world...you know what I mean?"

Booth involuntarily turned his head to look at his partner. She was facing straight ahead, so she didn't see him staring at her. He turned back to Kincaid. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"My daughter was brilliant. She earned a full scholarship to Yale and graduated summa cum laude."

"That means 'with highest honor,'" Brennan whispered to Booth.

"I knew that," Booth whispered back. _Okay, I didn't know exactly what it meant, but I knew it was something good._

Kincaid ignored their whispers and continued. "I always knew she was going to accomplish great things in this world, so I was a little disappointed when she decided to go into teaching; I thought her talents were wasted on high schoolers. Yet she loved it. She was always thinking of new ways to engage her students. I told her she worked too hard, but she wouldn't have it any other way. She didn't have time for the dating scene, so she went online. That's how she met Nathan."

His face darkened at the mention of his daughter's former boyfriend. "I knew the second I met him that he was trouble, but I didn't say anything at first. She seemed so happy, and I couldn't bring myself to interfere. Secretly, however, I hoped she would break up with him."

Booth found himself sympathizing with Kincaid again. _I felt the same way when he started dating Bones._

"A couple months into their relationship he started hitting her. I saw the bruises, but she made excuses for them in the beginning. I think she wanted to make the relationship work, or maybe she was just too scared to leave him. Anyway, about six weeks ago she finally admitted to me that he was abusing her. She told me that she couldn't take it anymore and she was going to break up with him. That was the last time I saw her. I knew it was only a matter of time before they found her body." Kincaid wiped his tears away with his sleeve.

_Oh, God, that could have been Bones._ Booth whirled around to face his partner, anger flashing in his eyes. _If he hit my Bones I'll bring him back to life so I can kill him myself. _"Did he ever hit--"

"No," she quickly interrupted. "But if he had, you know I would have hit him back harder."

"_You_ were dating him too?" Kincaid asked, clearly surprised.

"Only for the past few weeks," Brennan said defensively.

Kincaid turned to Booth. "Oh. The way you were looking at her, I assumed you two were dating."

"No," Booth said, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

Kincaid shifted his gaze to Brennan. "Well, luckily for you, someone killed him before he could kill you too."

"Was it you?" Brennan asked, tactful as ever.

Kincaid laughed without smiling. "You always say exactly what's on your mind, don't you? Melissa used to be like that. No, I didn't kill him. I'll admit, though, that I was happy when I heard he was dead. I want to shake the hand of the man who did it."

_So do I, _Booth thought. "Mr. Kincaid, I need to ask you where you were last night."

"I was at Charlie's."

"Who's Charlie?" Brennan asked.

"It's a bar a couple blocks over," Kincaid clarified. "It's where I spend most of my nights. You can ask anyone there, they'll tell you."

"Okay, thanks for your time, sir." Booth stood up from the couch and Brennan followed suit. Booth's hand instinctively found its way to her lower back, guiding her out of the house. He was ready to catch her if she tripped again, but she didn't need his help this time. A small part of him was disappointed that he didn't have an excuse to hold her again.

"Do you think he's our killer?" Brennan asked him when they were back in the car.

"I don't think so. We'll check out his alibi, of course, but my gut tells me that he's just a grieving father."

"You sympathize with him."

"I'm a father too, Bones."

"Would you kill someone if you thought he killed Parker?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

"Isn't it possible then that Mr. Kincaid feels the same way? He said Melissa was his whole world, and he clearly knows how to use a gun."

"How do you know that?"

"There was a picture of him on the mantle holding a hunting rifle."

_How did I miss that? Oh yeah, I was too busy feeling sorry for the guy and worrying about Bones to do my job properly._ _I've let this case get personal. But this case is personal, _his brain argued. _The victim was dating __**my**__ Bones, and the police think __**I **__killed him. Still, I can't let my emotions get in the way again. _"You could be right. I'll see if I can get a search warrant for his house. Maybe he was stupid enough to use his own gun to kill Spencer."

XXXXXXXXXX

"The man owned five guns, but none of them are our murder weapon," Hodgins told Angela after testing the guns recovered from Kincaid's house. "Of course, he could have used another gun and ditched it somewhere. Or maybe he hired someone to do the deed for him."

"Maybe," Angela said, her mind clearly elsewhere.

"What are you thinking about, babe?"

"I'm thinking about Booth."

Hodgins was hurt. "Hey, I know he's a good looking guy, but I'm still your boyfriend. You should have that distant look when you're thinking about ME."

Angela smiled at him. "You're so cute when you're jealous. Don't worry, Hodgy, I wasn't thinking about him like that. I was just thinking...what if Booth really did it? We all know how much he loves Brennan, and if he thought she was in danger--"

"No, Booth's not a murderer," Hodgins argued.

"He was a sniper, Jack. It's not like he's never killed someone."

"That was different. He was in a war then. Do you really think he would--" He stopped speaking when he saw an older, balding man walking towards them.

"Excuse me, I'm Detective Sam Carter," the man said, showing them his badge. "I'm looking for Angela Montenegro."

"That's me," Angela said.

"You're Dr. Brennan's best friend, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Is there somewhere we could talk privately?"

"What is this about?" Hodgins said, placing himself between his girlfriend and the detective.

"I'd like to ask Ms. Montenegro some questions about Dr. Brennan's relationship with Agent Booth."

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks to all my readers for your patience. I had a great time in DC, thanks to my friend Meagan. One of the many highlights of the trip was getting my picture taken in front of the FBI building. Sadly, I didn't receive Booth as a birthday present, but there's always next year. :)**

"Sweetie, please forgive me," Angela begged, practically sobbing into the phone."I'm so, so sorry."

"Sorry for what? What happened?" Brennan had been lying down on the couch in her apartment, her mind reviewing the events of the day, but sat up straight at Angela's words. She was already imagining the worst, but she told herself to stay calm.

"You know I love Booth...in a non-romantic way, of course, Hodgins has nothing to worry about. Believe me, I didn't want to say anything that could be used against him. I tried so hard." She started crying again.

"Who were you talking to? What did you say?" Brennan demanded, her anxiety increasing by the second.

"This detective, Sam Carter, came to the lab to ask me questions about you and Booth. Apparently he's been asking a lot of people at the FBI and the Jeffersonian about you guys, and so he's heard all the gossip, all the rumors. He told me that he didn't want to hear any more speculation; he wanted the truth. He asked me flat out if you two had ever slept together. I said no, but then..." Angela felt too ashamed to continue, so she let her words hang in the air.

"Then what?" Brennan snapped, her voice betraying her impatience.

"Then he asked me if I thought Booth _wanted _to sleep with you. I said that you two were just partners and were very professional, but he didn't believe me. He kept pushing me and pushing me until I said that yes, I thought Booth wanted you."

_Is that it? _Brennan was relieved. "It's okay, Ange. Saying you think Booth has feelings for me won't be enough to--"

"Bren, wait," Angela interrupted. "It gets worse. He asked me then if I thought Booth would kill for you, and...I thought of Thomas Vega."

"The former FBI agent who wrote the book on the Gravedigger?" Brennan remembered that Booth didn't like him, but as far as she knew Vega was still alive.

"Yeah. When you and Hodgins were buried alive, Booth was very...upset. I was worried about him, so I went to his office to see how he was holding up. In the hallway I ran into Vega. He was breathing hard and he looked rattled, so I asked him what happened. He said that Booth slammed him into a table, put his hand on his throat and threatened to kill him, all because he said you would die if Booth couldn't get the ransom together."

"And you believed him?"

"You didn't see how angry Booth was. He was yelling at all of us, and he nearly bit Zach's head off when he said we were too late to save you. So, when Carter asked if Booth would kill for you, I knew in my heart that the answer was yes, but I did everything I could to avoid giving him a direct answer. He kept me there for over an hour, asking me again and again, until...I couldn't take it anymore. I had to say yes."

Brennan began to wonder. Ortez. Vega. Nathan. How many people had Booth threatened for her? How far would he go to save her? She thought of Booth shooting Kenton. He hadn't had a choice; she had been in imminent danger, seconds away from death. Could he justify shooting Nathan if he thought her life was at risk again? _No, no, Booth is innocent. He has to be._

"Bren? Are you still there?"

Brennan realized that she had been quiet for several seconds. "I'm here."

"Carter's going to call me to testify. I'm so sorry, sweetie. The last thing I want to do is hurt Booth."

"I know, Ange."

"Please tell me that you and Booth found something to prove his innocence."

"I wish I could. We checked out Melissa's father's alibi. A dozen people swear he was at Charlie's Bar with them the night Nathan died."

"Hodgins thought he might have hired someone."

"I thought that too, so we checked his financial records. There were no substantial withdrawals from his bank account in the past six months. He's barely breaking even. He had to borrow money for Melissa's funeral, so it's unlikely he had enough to hire a hitman."

"So what do you do now?"

"We're going to track down Nathan's former girlfriends, see if any of them held a grudge against him. If he was abusing Melissa, it's likely he abused other women as well."

"Sweetie, tell me he never--"

"He never hit me, Ange. We'd only been dating a few weeks...it's possible he would have eventually. It's a good thing I never let myself develop feelings for him."

"There are good men out there, Bren, men you should develop feelings for...men like Booth."

Brennan rolled her eyes and laughed. Would Angela ever stop trying to set them up? "We're trying to prove my over protective, ex-sniper partner didn't shoot my homicidal boyfriend. It isn't a good time to start a romantic relationship...with anyone."

"When will it be a good time?"

"When I'm not so busy."

Angela sighed. "You'll always be busy. Love isn't something you can schedule in between autopsies and book signings."

Brennan didn't want to be lectured on her priorities. The men in her life were always temporary; why bother to get attached to them? Some stayed longer than others, some even said they loved her, but in the end each one of them left. Her work, however, had never and would never abandon her. "I don't need love in my life, Ange. I'll talk to you later, bye."

"Wait! One last thing. If Carter's talking to everyone at the Jeffersonian, sooner or later he'll get to you. You should prepare yourself."

XXXXXXXXXX

Brennan didn't have to wait long. About a half hour after ending her conversation with Angela, she heard a knock on her apartment door. She dared to hope that it was Booth, her mind happily recalling all the times he had visited her after work, holding take out containers and flashing that irresistible smile. She wondered how she had ever gotten enough to eat before he came into her life.

When she opened the door, she was disappointed- but not surprised- to see the detective who had arrested Booth and made her best friend cry. No, not disappointed, she corrected herself. She was a writer as well as a scientist; she could select a better word to fit her current emotions. She decided on "furious". This man was hurting the people she cared about most, and now he was going to try to intimidate her.

"Detective Sam Carter," he said as he flashed his badge. "We met at the police station when you came to bail your partner out, remember? It's a pleasure to see you again, Dr. Brennan."

"I can't say the same," she answered bitterly.

"Dr. Brennan, surely a woman as dedicated to her career as you are can appreciate that I'm just doing my job. May I come in?"

"No, you can't," she said, standing squarely in the doorway. "If you were doing your job, you'd be looking for the real killer, not persecuting Booth."

"I'm not persecuting anyone. I'm simply trying to find the truth."

Brennan felt her anger rising. "By harassing my best friend? Tormenting her until she told you what you wanted to hear?"

"Tormenting her?" He said, raising his eyebrows. "All I did was ask her a few simple questions."

"Over and over again."

"If she had answered them the first time, I wouldn't have had to repeat myself. Sometimes getting the truth requires a little...persuasion. You've seen Booth question people, you know how it works," he said casually.

_You're nothing like Booth_, she thought. "Well, don't think you're going to make me say anything that you can use to hurt my partner. Booth is a good man, and--"

He held out his hand to silence her. "Dr. Brennan, please calm down. I didn't come here to fight with you. I came to ask you some questions. Now, we can do that here, or down at the station after I charge you with obstruction of justice. What's it going to be?"

Brennan wanted nothing more than to kick him in his most sensitive area, but she knew that wouldn't help Booth's case. She didn't have a choice. "Here," she said, reluctantly stepping aside to let him into her apartment.

"Thank you," he said as he walked inside and settled himself on her couch. She sat across from him. "So, you say Booth is a good man. Does a good man beat up a suspect in an interrogation room?"

"What?"

"The videotape of your boyfriend's interrogation showed Booth attacking him."

_No, he wouldn't...would he? _"You're lying."

Carter smiled. She had only hesitated for a few seconds, but it was long enough. "Are you sure? The look on your face just now tells me you think it's possible. You've seen Booth act violently before, haven't you?"

"Never without just cause."

"So he had just cause to shoot an ice cream truck? Were they out of his favorite flavor?"

"There were extenuating circumstances. He was dealing with an extreme emotional situation--"

"He was feeling guilty because he had just killed Howard Epps?"

"No," she said angrily. _He's twisting everything!_ "He tried to save Epps, but he couldn't."

"The serial killer targeting his partner happens to slip out of his grasp and fall to his death? How convenient."

"It's the truth."

"You killed Howard Epps' accomplice to save Booth's life, didn't you?"

In her mind's eye Brennan saw the face of Gil Lappin after she shot him, the pipe he had used to attack Booth falling out of his limp hand. She remembered the sick feeling in her stomach when she realized that she had taken a human life. "I had to do it," she said. She had told herself the same thing for weeks after the incident.

"Of course you did. Now, wouldn't Booth, being a good man as you say, want to return the favor? If he killed Epps, why not your boyfriend too?"

"Booth didn't kill Nathan, no matter what you say."

"You do know that he threatened to kill him, right?"

"Yes. He told me."

"Has he ever told you about threatening anyone else?"

She thought of Ortez and Vega. "No."

Carter smiled again. "You have many skills, Dr. Brennan, but lying isn't one of them."

"I believe that Booth is innocent. That's not a lie."

"It doesn't matter what you believe. When the jury sees the tape from the interrogation room, they'll believe your partner is capable of murder. Now...I could make that tape disappear...if I had the proper incentive." He leaned forward, extending his arm to stroke her hair.

She leapt out of her seat as suddenly as if she'd been burned."What do you mean?"

He laughed. "You're a smart woman. Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

She couldn't believe this was happening. "You're saying you would destroy evidence if...if I slept with you?"

"You're so beautiful, Temperance. Or should I call you Joy? Or Bones?"

The lust in his eyes disgusted her. "Only Booth can call me Bones," she spat. "Get out."

He moved dangerously close to her. "Or what? You try any of your fancy martial arts on me and I can arrest you for assaulting a police officer. Come on, Dr. Brennan. You don't want Booth to go to jail, do you? You'll have a good time, I promise."

"Booth won't go to jail because I'll prove that he's innocent. Get out. NOW."

He knew enough about her to realize that she would attack him if he didn't leave. "Alright." He walked towards the door, but stopped a few feet away and whirled around to face her. "I wouldn't tell Booth about this. We both know how violent he can be, and him assaulting the officer who arrested him won't look good at his trial." He smiled at her once more and left.

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thanks so much to all my wonderful reviewers, and to my dear friend CalleighAryn for her suggestions on this chapter.**

_I should have hit him, _Brennan thought as she stood in the shower, her body shaking with fury. _How dare he call me Bones! _

In the early days of their partnership, she had hated the nickname. She had thought Booth was disrespecting her by not using her real name and title. Over the past two years, however, she had realized that Booth calling her 'Bones' was a sign of his affection for her. She had come to value the nickname as much as she valued their partnership, but now Carter had tainted it.

When Carter called her Bones, there was no affection or caring in his voice, only lust. The way he had looked at her and touched her hair had made her feel dirty, so she had jumped into the shower as soon as he left. As she washed her hair, applying extra shampoo to the strands that Carter had defiled, her thoughts turned to the tape, her brilliant mind arguing with itself.

_Carter was lying about the tape. Booth wouldn't beat up a suspect in an interrogation room; he's too professional to do that. _

_Are you sure? Shooting an ice cream truck and choking Vega, if it had really happened, aren't exactly professional actions_.

_But those were deviations from the norm_, _rare emotional outbursts._

_If Booth thought Nathan had hurt you or would hurt you, don't you think that would cause an emotional outburst?_ _And if he attacked him, had he also killed him?_

_No, Booth isn't a murderer. Carter was trying to trick me. Did he really expect me to accept his offer? Did he really think I would have sex with him to save Booth?_

_Why wouldn't he think that? Carter was right, you did kill a man for Booth. If you were willing to take a life, why wouldn't you be willing to lend Carter your body for a few hours? Booth would do anything for you; wouldn't you do anything for him?_

_Booth wouldn't want me using my body to get him out of trouble. How arrogant of Carter to think that I wouldn't tell him! He's my partner, and partners share things._

_But what if Carter wants you to tell him? What if this was a set-up? If Booth threatens Carter or hurts him in any way, it proves that Booth will resort to violence on your behalf and strengthens the case against him._

_That's true. I can't tell Booth, it will only make things worse. I'll deal with this by myself._

_So what now?_

_I'll keep looking for evidence that will prove his innocence...and in the meantime, I'll get him the best defense lawyer in DC. Booth will be cleared, and I'll make sure that bastard Carter gets what he deserves._

XXXXXXXXXX

"You got James Tierney to defend me? Bones, there's no way I can afford him," Booth said the next morning as they drove to Virginia to meet Diane McCormick, a former girlfriend of Nathan's.

"You're not paying for him, your squints are," she said firmly. "Hodgins and I will split most of the cost, naturally, but Angela, Zach and Cam insisted on contributing to your legal fund."

"Bones, I...Thank you. I..." He wished he had the words to tell her how grateful he was. "I...really appreciate you standing by me."

"You're my partner. Of course I'll stand by you."

He desperately wanted to stop the car and kiss her. But as he looked over at her, he could see that something was troubling her. "Are you okay?"

"Did you really slam Vega into a table, choke him, and threaten to kill him?" She blurted out.

_How the hell did she find out about that? _"Yes, but I...wasn't thinking clearly at the time."

"Angela said you were very upset then, that you were yelling at everyone."

"I wasn't upset, Bones. I was terrified."

"Terrified?"

"We all were. I– we thought that we might never see you or Hodgins again. So when Vega wasn't being helpful enough, I thought I'd give him a little incentive to work harder."

The word "incentive" made Brennan shudder. _Now...I could make that tape disappear...if I had the proper incentive, _Carter had said last night."Okay, I understand."

Booth saw her tremble. "Are you cold? I have a jacket in the back--"

"No, I'm fine."

Booth didn't believe her for a second. "Was there something else you wanted to talk about?" He asked gently.

Brennan hesitated. She knew she had to be careful, or she would end up telling him everything. "Detective Carter came to see me last night. He said there was a tape of you attacking Nathan in the interrogation room."

"WHAT? That lying sonofabitch! I swear to God, Bones, I didn't hurt him. I wanted to, but I didn't. Why would I attack someone in the interrogation room, knowing that all interrogations are recorded?"

"I knew Carter was lying. He was trying to make me doubt you, but it didn't work. Nothing he could say could make me lose faith in you."

_My God, I love this woman._ "Thanks, Bones. That means a lot." He wanted to pull her into his arms again, but now wasn't the time; they had arrived at Diane McCormick's house.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Nathan's dead, huh? I don't like to speak ill of the dead, but he had it coming," Diane said after Booth and Brennan had explained why they were there and she had invited them into her home.

"Can you tell us about your relationship with Nathan?" Booth asked.

"Okay, sure. It started off great. Nathan seemed like the perfect guy- handsome, smart, funny...and a fantastic lover."

Out of the corner of his eye Booth saw Brennan nodding in agreement. "Bones!"

"What? It's true, he was a great lover."

Booth looked like he'd been shot. "I don't want to hear it."

Diane laughed at the exchange; they were such a cute couple. "You dated Nathan, too?"

"Only for a few weeks," Booth answered for her. "I'm sorry for the interruption, please continue."

"As I said, it started off great, but after a couple months, he started getting really weird. He would become upset when I went out with my friends, he would call me all the time to see what I was doing...it was creepy. Then one day we were having a fight and he hit me. I was so shocked, but he apologized and apologized and I wanted to believe him when he said it would never happen again. I never thought I'd be one of those women who ends up in an abusive relationship, but there I was. I was too ashamed to report him to the police. A few weeks later, he hit me with a baseball bat when I said I wasn't in the mood to sleep with him. I was scared he would kill me, so I left DC that night and never looked back." Tears rolled down her face.

"If you had reported him, Melissa Kincaid might still be alive," Brennan said.

"Bones!" Booth winced at her bluntness. "What my partner meant to say is that--"

Diane grabbed a tissue from a nearby table. "No, she's right. I should have turned him in. I could have saved a life." She started sobbing. " I was very lucky; I met my husband soon after, and he's a wonderful man." She paused for a few minutes to calm herself down, then turned to Brennan. "I'm glad that you found someone better than Nathan too," she said, her head tilting toward Booth.

"Oh...we're not together," Brennan said.

"Really? Why not?" Diane asked.

"Mrs. McCormick, we need to ask you about your whereabouts on the night that Nathan died," Booth interrupted, glad for an excuse to turn the conversation away from his and Bones' relationship.

"My husband and I were at a friend's birthday party."

Booth handed her a pen and a piece of paper from his notepad. "Can you give me the names and numbers of your friend and the other guests?"

"I can do the names from memory, but I'll need to get my organizer for the phone numbers. Excuse me." She returned moments later with a small leather book. Soon she finished recording the numbers and gave the pen and paper to Booth.

"Thank you for your time." He handed her his card. "If you can think of anything else that might help our investigation, please contact me."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Another potential suspect with a solid alibi," Booth mumbled after he and Brennan finished calling the numbers on Diane's list.

"Don't sound so discouraged. We'll keep looking until we find the real killer; we always do."

"Thanks, Bones." He wasn't used to this. He liked being the one to comfort her, but now she was the one comforting him. It was a pleasant, if strange, feeling.

"Why does everyone assume that we're dating?" Brennan asked after several minutes of silence.

Booth laughed. "Well...people make assumptions about other people based on their body language."

"Like what?"

"Like how close two people sit together or the way they look at each other." Booth's cheeks reddened slightly as he realized how dangerous this conversation could become.

"Or if they give each other guy hugs?"

He swallowed hard as the desire to hold her returned full force. "That too. So it's obvious to the outside world that we're..." He wanted to say _more than partners, _but he lost his nerve. "...that we're very good friends."

"I'm glad to be your friend, Booth," Brennan said. Remembering what Angela had told her once about a simple touch being comforting, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I won't let you go to jail."

"I'm glad to be your friend too, Bones," he said as he put one hand on top of hers. _And, assuming I don't go to jail, I hope that someday we'll be much more._ _Someday soon._

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thanks again to all my fantastic reviewers; I love reading all of your comments! A special thanks to redrider6612 and bertie456 for pointing out that Booth wouldn't be able to investigate the murder officially, and to CalleighAryn for reading my first draft. **

"_We find the defendant, Seeley Booth, guilty."_

"_No! You can't do this! I'm innocent!" The guards ignored his yells; they had heard it all before. As they led him out of the courtroom, handcuffed like a common criminal, he turned to Bones, his heart breaking when he saw the tears racing down her cheeks. He had to get to her. He had to hold her one last time. "BONES!" He fought his guards_ _and ran towards her._

_He wanted to put his arms around her, forgetting for a second that he was handcuffed. When he was within reach of her, she backed away. "You promised you would never leave me. You promised!" She turned and ran out of the courtroom. He was chasing after her when the guards grabbed him from behind._

"_NO! Bones! Bones!" __It wasn't supposed to end this way. One day he was going to tell her that he loved her. She would say it back and they would live happily ever after._

"_She's gone, buddy. Get over it," one of the guards said, laughing at his distress._

"_She'll find another guy and forget all about you," another guard taunted him. "She was happy enough with Sully, wasn't she?"_

_How does he know about Sully? That doesn't make sense. This isn't real. You're dreaming again, Seeley. Wake up! WAKE UP!_

Booth's eyes popped open. He turned on the lamp beside his bed and looked around the room, taking comfort in the familiar surroundings, assuring himself that this was reality. As he lay in bed, his breathing slowly returning to normal, he tried to remember the last time he had gotten a decent night's sleep. He couldn't.

The past six weeks had been hell. Shortly after questioning Diane McCormick, Cullen had called Booth into his office. Booth had known that he wasn't officially allowed to investigate Nathan Spencer's death, but he had hoped his and Bones' unofficial investigation would go unnoticed. He had been wrong. Cullen had suspended him and forbidden him to have anything more to do with the case.

Bones had tracked down more of Nathan's girlfriends on her own. Some of them said Nathan had abused them and a couple had even filed charges against him. Unfortunately, none of the women Bones questioned turned out to be viable suspects. She couldn't find any new evidence at the scene, and the FBI refused to let the squints examine any of the evidence they had collected, so there was nothing they could do. He and Bones were used to taking control of any situation, and neither could stand feeling helpless.

Tomorrow his trial would begin. It should never have gotten this far. They didn't have any concrete evidence against him; it was all circumstantial. There was no way a jury of reasonable people could convict him...and yet he had been having the same nightmare for weeks: the jury found him guilty, he tried to get to Bones, and she ran from him. But it was just a dream, after all. His real trial would turn out differently...wouldn't it? Of course it would. Leaving his Bones and his son was not an option.

He turned to the clock beside him. It was almost midnight. He didn't want to go back to sleep and risk falling into his nightmare again, so he rolled out of bed and threw some clothes on. As he got into his car and drove to Bones' apartment, he prayed that she was still awake.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I know it's late, but I saw your lights on," Booth said when Brennan opened the door.

She stood aside to let him come in. "You couldn't sleep either?" She led him to her couch and sat beside him.

"No. I keep having these dreams...well, they're more like nightmares."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She hated seeing him in pain. Maybe she could help him by listening, just as she had when he had told her about his past as a sniper.

He hadn't told her about the dreams before because he hadn't wanted to burden her with his problems. Yet as she looked at him now with those piercing blue eyes he felt like opening his soul to her. "I keep dreaming that I'm found guilty and... you hate me for leaving you."

"I could never hate you, Booth, and you won't be found guilty. The jury will realize that there's not enough evidence to convict you and the FBI will reinstate you. Then we can get back to doing what we do best," she said confidently.

"Arguing with each other and eating a ton of takeout after dark?"

Brennan frowned, thinking he was serious. "No, solving murders."

"It was a joke."

"Oh. Sorry."

He laughed. Just being here with her had made him feel so much better. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You've kept me going these past few weeks; I don't know what I would have done without you. Thank you, Bones-- you're the best."

Brennan didn't feel worthy of his thanks. "No, I'm not. I couldn't find any evidence that would prove your innocence. I've used my skills to help hundreds of people I've never even met, but I couldn't help you. I failed."

Booth saw the tears forming in her eyes and put his hand on her back to comfort her. "No, you haven't failed. You're the best forensic anthropologist there is. If the FBI had let you examine their evidence, I'm sure you would have found something. It doesn't matter anyway. You're right, they don't have enough evidence to convict me."

"So...you're not disappointed in me?"

"I could never be disappointed in you, Bones." He moved his fingers in little circles across her back, wishing he could take her pain away just as she had taken his.

Without warning she threw her arms around him, and for several wonderful seconds Booth found happiness in his partner's embrace. Then she stood up abruptly. "I'm going to try to go to bed. It's not safe for you to drive home in your current state of sleep deprivation, so you should stay here. I'll set up the guest room for you."

"I don't want you to go to any trouble."

"It's no trouble. Really." She disappeared into the guest room, returning a short time later to lead him inside. "Good night, Booth. Sweet dreams."

"You too, Bones." He stripped down to his boxers, crawled into bed and lost consciousness almost instantly. Knowing his partner was sleeping in the next room, he slept better than he had in weeks.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning Bones made them a delicious breakfast; it was as good as the macaroni and cheese she had made for him once. They stopped at his apartment so he could change into one of his best suits before driving together to the courthouse. Well rested and well fed, he entered the courtroom and sat next to his lawyer, James Tierney. Tierney was a young, good looking guy who radiated confidence. Booth knew him by reputation; he rarely lost a case. With Tierney beside him and the squints behind him, all of his earlier doubts were forgotten. He was certain that he would be vindicated. His contentment lasted until ADA Michael Olson gave his opening statement.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you are here today to determine if Agent Seeley Booth, who was once a decorated sniper with many kills to his credit, shot Nathan Spencer in cold blood. You will hear testimony that Agent Booth had the motive, means and opportunity to commit this crime. We'll start with means. As I said, he was a sniper, a man skilled in the use of guns and who, as a FBI agent, had access to many weapons. As for opportunity, he interrogated the victim hours before his death and so could have easily followed Spencer from the FBI building to the alley where he was murdered.

"But what about motive, you ask? Why would a FBI agent, a man dedicated to bringing murderers to justice, kill an unarmed man? Why? Because Special Agent Booth is hiding a dirty little secret. You see, he believed that Spencer was a threat to his partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan, whom he was dating at the time of his death. He killed Spencer to protect Dr. Brennan because he's secretly in love with her."

Booth's stomach was doing somersaults. _Oh God. They're putting my feelings for Bones on trial. _

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Thanks again to all of you who take the time to write reviews! You guys rock! I know who I'm planning to have testify at the trial, but if you have any ideas I'd be happy to hear them.**

If it wasn't for Angela's loud gasp, Brennan might have thought that she had misheard or misunderstood ADA Olson's last words._ Booth's secretly in love with me? That's ridiculous!_ _I know that Booth is attracted to me –I'm not as blind as Angela thinks–but in love with me? No. He's made it clear that our partnership has boundaries, and he's never tried to cross them._

Booth was using every ounce of self-discipline he had to keep himself from turning around. He ached to see Bones' reaction to Olson's words, but he knew that if he looked at her now she would see the truth of Olson's statement reflected in his eyes. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to stare straight ahead as his lawyer stood up, faced the jury, and delivered his own opening statement.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it is an insult to our justice system that this case is before you today. Agent Seeley Booth is a man of exceptional character. He was a sniper, that's true, but not because he wanted to be, not because he enjoyed killing. He was a sniper because **our** government asked him to be one. After serving our country with distinction, he joined the FBI because he wanted to catch killers, and he has done so admirably. In fact, he and Dr. Brennan have one of the highest success rates of any team in the Bureau.

"The prosecution has no forensic evidence to prove Agent Booth committed this crime. The gun used to kill Nathan Spencer couldn't be matched to any weapon that he owned or had access to. They can't even place him at the scene of the crime. Their whole case is based on motive. Does Agent Booth care about Dr. Brennan? They've worked together for nearly two years, solving the most gruesome crimes imaginable. Of course he cares about her, of course he's concerned about her safety. Does that mean that he killed Nathan Spencer, a man who abused his girlfriends and may have even murdered one of them? No. Agent Booth wanted to arrest Spencer and put him in jail, just as he has done with countless other criminals.

"As a war hero and a FBI agent, Agent Booth has made our country a safer place for all of us. It's a travesty that he's sitting in this courtroom today. It's a horrible injustice, ladies and gentlemen, but one that you have the power to rectify."

Brennan smiled as Tierney returned to his seat. He was right about Booth being a man of exceptional character, and she was proud to be his partner and friend.

XXXXXXXXXX

Olson called Special Agent Jim Ryan as his first witness. Booth was ready for this; Ryan had told him weeks ago that he had received a subpoena to appear in court. Although Ryan didn't have a choice, he had apologized to Booth repeatedly.

"Have long have you known Agent Booth?" Olson asked after Ryan had been sworn in.

"About five years now."

"And in that time, would you say that you had gotten to know Agent Booth well?"

"Fairly well, I guess."

"Based on your observations, how would you characterize his relationship with Dr. Brennan?"

"They're partners."

"Nothing else?" He said suggestively.

"Well, they're friends too. Good friends."

"Have you ever seen Agent Booth use violence to protect his 'good friend'?"

Ryan looked at Booth apologetically. "Once. The Kenton incident."

"Would you describe 'the Kenton incident' for the court?"

"We got word that Jamie Kenton, one of our own, had kidnapped Dr. Brennan. It turned out that he wanted to silence her before she found out he was involved in the murder of Jimmy Cugini. We were searching a block of abandoned buildings for her when Booth showed up. He had just come from the hospital, and it was obvious he was still in a lot of pain, but--"

"A hospital?" Olson interrupted. "What had happened to him?"

"He'd been blown up."

"In the line of duty?"

"Well...not exactly. It was a bomb in Dr. Brennan's refrigerator."

"I see. So he had just been discharged from the hospital?"

"Actually... I think he left early."

"So, although he was still suffering from injuries caused by the explosion, he left the hospital early to look for Dr. Brennan?"

"Yes."

"Fascinating. Please continue, Agent Ryan."

"As I was saying, he was in a lot of pain, but he insisted on coming with us to search the buildings, and our SAC agreed, so--"

"Sorry to interrupt again, but could you tell the jury what a SAC is?"

"Special Agent in Charge. Anyway, we entered the next building and split up to execute our search. There was no sign of Dr. Brennan in my area, so I was heading back to rejoin the other agents at the scene when I heard a gunshot."

"Who fired the shot?"

"Agent Booth. He had shot Kenton."

"He shot a fellow FBI agent to save his partner?"

"Yes, but he didn't--"

" 'Yes' is sufficient, Agent. What happened next?"

"I ran to the source of the shot and saw Booth walking over to Dr. Brennan. He took a gag out of her mouth. Her hands were tied up on a hook, so he got her down and--"

"How exactly did he get her down?"

"He put his head between her arms and put his arms around her back and lifted her off the hook."

"Why didn't he just lift her hands off the hook? Wouldn't that have been easier?"

"Well, he tried, but he couldn't because he was injured."

"Of course. So after he got her down he untied her hands?"

"Yeah...eventually."

"Eventually? What was he doing in the meantime?"

"He was...uh...hugging her and rubbing her back and telling her that everything was okay, that it was all over."

Booth's cheeks reddened. In that moment he hadn't cared that Hodgins and other FBI agents were in the room. Bones was the only one who mattered. To hell with his broken ribs. He had wanted to keep her safe in his arms forever.

Brennan was blushing too. She had always prided herself on being strong and independent, able to handle anything that come her way. When Kenton had told her she was going to die, she had fought back and expected to win. But she hadn't been able to do it on her own. The woman who didn't want to need anyone had needed Booth to save her. She had been scared and vulnerable, and so she had allowed herself to take comfort in his embrace. Looking back, she was a little embarrassed at how tightly she had clung to him.

Olson was smirking. "How long did this hug go on?"

"A couple minutes."

"A couple minutes? Wow. He must consider her a good friend indeed. So, knowing that Agent Booth shot one of his own colleagues to protect Dr. Brennan, do you believe that he would shoot Nathan Spencer if he thought that he was a threat to her?"

"Booth's a good guy. He--"

"Yes or no, Agent Ryan?"

Ryan hesitated, but he knew the answer. "If he had to."

"So that's a 'yes'. Thank you, Agent. No further questions." He returned to his seat as Tierney got up from his and approached the witness.

"Agent Ryan, what would have happened if Booth hadn't shot Kenton?"

"Dr. Brennan would be dead, no doubt about it."

"Couldn't he have tried to reason with Kenton before shooting him?"

"There wasn't time. I heard Kenton was aiming his gun at her when he was shot."

"And did Booth kill Kenton when he shot him?"

"No, he got him in the arm. It was a very minor injury."

"Do you think that he meant to kill Kenton?"

"No, sir. Booth's a great shot. If he wanted to kill him, he'd be dead."

"So, if Booth merely injured a man who was seconds away from killing his partner, does it seem logical to you that he would murder a man who had yet to harm her?"

Ryan smiled. "No, no it doesn't. Booth's not a murderer."

"One last thing, Agent. I'm not an expert in FBI procedure, so maybe you can enlighten me here. Is it against the rules to comfort your partner after someone has kidnapped her, gagged her, tied her up and tried to kill her?"

"Of course not. Booth did what any friend would do."

"Thank you, Agent Ryan. No further questions."

"The witness may step down," the judge declared.

Booth breathed a long sigh of relief. _That went well. _He relaxed until the prosecution called another witness against him, someone who he wasn't expecting, someone he hoped he would never see again.

"Would you state your name for the record?" Olson asked.

"Thomas Vega."

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Thanks again to my fantastic reviewers for all your support and encouragement. A special thanks to CalleighAryn for offering suggestions on the early draft of this chapter.**

**AN2: This chapter contains spoilers for "Aliens in a Spaceship" and "The Girl in the Gator." Additionally, I don't think the second witness in this chapter had a name in the episode, so the name he has is my own invention.**

"Mr. Vega, how did you come to know Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan?"

"They were investigating the Gravedigger. Since I wrote the book on that sick bastard- literally- I offered to help them in their investigation."

"Could you explain who the Gravedigger is to the jury?"

"He kidnaps people and buries them alive. Then he calls their family or friends and demands a ransom. If they pay it, he tells them where they can find their loved ones. If not, then...they're dead."

Angela, sitting between Brennan and Hodgins, looked at each in turn, wondering how Vega's testimony would affect them. Brennan seemed to be okay, but Hodgins' face was growing pale. She put her arm around his shoulders and he leaned into her body.

"I love you babe," Hodgins whispered into her ear.

"I love you too, Hodgy," she whispered back.

Brennan smiled when she heard her friends' whispers. She was happy that they were happy, although a small part of her wondered if she would ever find someone who would love her that much. Not that she needed romance, of course, but maybe someday she could try being in a relationship that was more than physical.

"During the course of this investigation, Dr. Brennan and her colleague Dr. Hodgins were abducted by this individual?" Olson asked Vega.

"Yes."

"And how did Agent Booth deal with his partner's disappearance?"

"I've worked with families who have lost people to the Gravedigger, so I expected Agent Booth to show a certain level of frustration and anger, but his reaction was...to put it mildly...extreme. The guy completely lost it."

"How so?"

"He thought, because I had done extensive research on the Gravedigger, that he and I were good friends. He wanted me to negotiate with him. When I told him that I couldn't, that he had to pay the ransom or Dr. Brennan would die, he snapped. He grabbed me, threw me onto a table in his office, and nearly strangled me. He said that if Dr. Brennan died, he would kill me."

_He's exaggerating. I didn't strangle him and I didn't use the word 'kill', _Booth thought. _I said I would end him. Luckily for him, Bones was okay so I didn't have to hurt him._

"So Agent Booth assaulted you and threatened your life because you couldn't help him save his partner?"

"Like I said, he lost it. He's a dangerous man."

"So you believed his threat was genuine?"

"Definitely. I believe he would do anything for his 'partner'."

"Why do you say that?"

"I was at the scene when he found her, along with several FBI agents and the Jeffersonian team. We were all staring at this immense sandy plain, wondering what to do next, when we saw smoke rising from the surface. A sane person would have formed a plan and requested back-up, but Booth just sprinted down the plain and started digging with his bare hands like a man possessed. When he pulled his partner out of the ground, I saw the way he looked at her. It was as if there was no one else in the universe but her."

Booth hated that his feelings for Bones were so transparent to the rest of the world. Why should scum like Vega know he loved his partner when she remained unaware?

"What do you think Booth would do if he ever found the Gravedigger?"

"Considering that he was willing to kill me for simply saying that Dr. Brennan might die, I have no doubt that he'd kill him or anyone else who threatened his precious partner."

_Would I kill the Gravedigger?_ Booth asked himself. _If Bones had died, then yes, I wouldn't rest until I was the one digging his grave._

"Thank you, Mr. Vega. No further questions." Olson returned to his seat with a satisfied smile.

_My turn, _Tierney thought as he stood up and walked towards Vega. _I'm going to enjoy making this arrogant jerk look bad._ "Mr. Vega, you said that you worked with families who had lost people to the Gravedigger. How many families?"

"Five."

"Five? That's it? That's the sample size by which you judged that Agent Booth's reactions were extreme? Mr. Vega, am I correct in assuming that you don't have a background in statistics?"

"Objection!" Olson cried out. "He's badgering the witness."

"Sustained," the judge ruled.

"I apologize, your honor. Allow me to rephrase the question. Mr. Vega, do you have a background in statistics?"

"No."

"Because if you did, you would know that working with only five families wouldn't give you enough data to make assumptions about what is or isn't normal behavior. Isn't that correct?"

"Yes," Vega answered grudgingly.

"Now, Mr. Vega, you said that my client was a dangerous man and you even questioned his sanity. Do you have a background in psychology?"

Vega's discomfort grew. "No."

"Then what qualifies you to make such judgments about his character?"

"He nearly choked me in his office!" He shouted.

"Ah yes, this so-called 'assault' you described. Did you file a complaint against Agent Booth?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I wanted to put the whole thing behind me."

"Is that really why? It wasn't because a part of you recognized that Agent Booth's actions were not caused by any personal malice against you, but by a sincere concern for his partner's welfare?"

"No."

"Mr. Vega, let me review the circumstances leading up to this so-called assault. Two of Agent Booth's associates have been buried alive. The Gravedigger has demanded a ransom that he can't pay, and at that point in time he has no leads as to where his friends might be. All he knows is that if he can't do something in time, they will run out of air and suffocate to death. Are you saying that you didn't feel sorry for him?"

"I could see he was upset, but being upset doesn't give him justification to attack me."

"Yet you provoked him, didn't you?"

"What?"

"You said that you offered to help in the investigation. When Agent Booth asked you, the supposed Gravedigger expert, for help, you told him that if he couldn't pay the ransom, his partner was dead. Isn't that what you testified earlier?"

"Yes. I wanted him to accept the reality of the situation."

"But you knew that Agent Booth couldn't pay the ransom, so how exactly was your advice helpful?"

"It wasn't. I couldn't do anything to help him."

"So instead you taunted him by saying that his partner was going to die. No wonder he snapped. No further questions, your honor."

Booth tried to hide his smile as the judge dismissed Vega, who glared at him before making a hasty exit from the courtroom.

"You may call your next witness," the judge told Olson.

"The prosecution calls Joseph Horgan."

_Who?_ Booth searched his memory, but the name was totally unfamiliar to him. It was only when Horgan took the stand that Booth recognized him. _Are you serious? Come on, this doesn't have anything to do with the case!_

Olson stood again in front of the witness box. "Mr. Horgan, like Mr. Vega you fell victim to one of Agent Booth's violent outbursts. This one, however, can't be blamed on his concern for Dr. Brennan. Can you tell the jury how you became acquainted with Agent Booth?"

"He shot my ice cream truck."

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I am truly honored by all the feedback this story has received! Many thanks to my amazing reviewers, and to CalleighAryn for her suggestions. **

**AN2: This chapter contains spoilers for "The Girl in the Gator" and "The Man in the Cell."**

"Let me see if I heard you correctly. The defendant, Agent Booth, the war hero and distinguished FBI agent, fired upon an ice cream truck?"

"Objection!" Tierney shouted. "Your honor, ADA Olson just said this has nothing to do with Agent Booth's feelings for Dr. Brennan. This is completely irrelevant to the case at hand."

"I'm establishing that Agent Booth has a history of violence," Olson argued.

"I'll allow this line of questioning, but proceed cautiously, Mr. Olson," the judge declared.

"Thank you, your honor. So, Mr. Horgan, I assume Agent Booth had a good reason for shooting your truck. Was it caught in the crossfire between Agent Booth and a suspect?"

Horgan laughed. "No, nothing like that. He meant to hit my truck."

"But why?"

"He was pissed about the volume of my music because he was trying to talk on the phone. He told me to turn it off, and I said no. The music attracts my customers, I can't shut it off. So he turned around and shot my clown speaker. I loved that clown."

"Oh my. How many times did Agent Booth shoot your poor, defenseless clown?"

"Objection!" Tierney shouted again. "Your honor, Mr. Olson is making a mockery of this trial."

"Sustained. Watch your tone, Mr. Olson," the judge demanded.

"I apologize, your honor. So, Mr. Horgan, how many times did Agent Booth shoot the speaker?"

"Three."

"And what time of day did this incident occur?"

"It was afternoon."

"Were there other people in the area?"

"Some, yeah."

"So Agent Booth fired three shots at your truck in broad daylight while pedestrians walked by?"

"Yeah. Once they heard the shot, people started screaming and running as fast as they could."

"Did he warn you that he was going to shoot your truck if you didn't do as he asked?"

"No, there was no warning. He just did it."

"And what was your reaction?"

"I thought that he was crazy. I mean, what kind of lunatic shoots an ice cream truck?"

Booth put his hands over his face as several people in the courtroom laughed. _This isn't going well._

"What was Agent Booth's reaction? Was he horrified at what he had done?"

"He didn't seem to be. He kept talking on the phone like nothing had happened."

"Thank you, Mr. Horgan. No further questions." Olson returned to his seat.

Tierney stood up and walked towards Horgan. "Mr. Horgan, you said that Booth shot your speaker because the music was too loud. That may have been the trigger for his actions, but it wasn't the reason. Have you ever heard of posttraumatic stress disorder?"

"Yeah. It's when something bad happens to you and you go a little mental."

"Exactly. Did Agent Booth have the opportunity to explain to you that this incident came on the heels of a very stressful case in which Howard Epps, a sadistic serial killer, targeted him and his associates at the Jeffersonian?"

"Uh...no, he didn't tell me that."

"So you didn't know that, days before shooting your speaker, Agent Booth's girlfriend had been poisoned and nearly died? Or that he himself had been blown up while protecting a colleague? Or that he witnessed Howard Epps falling to his death after trying to kill his partner?"

"Wow. No, I didn't know any of that." He looked at Booth. "Holy crap. I'm sorry I called you a lunatic, man."

_It's okay, _Booth thought. _I've been called worse._

"And isn't it true that Agent Booth paid for the necessary repairs to your speaker?"

"Yeah, he did. It looks good as new now."

"Thank you, Mr. Horgan. No further questions." The judge told Horgan that he was free to go. He left the courtroom happily, glad that his job didn't involve serial killers or explosions.

"Your honor, I would like it noted on the record that Agent Booth began counseling after this incident. The FBI was satisfied with his progress and allowed him to return to work," Tierney added.

"So noted," the judge said. "We'll adjourn for the day and resume at nine o'clock tomorrow. Court is dismissed." She banged her gavel and everyone started to leave the courtroom.

"I think we're doing alright," Tierney told Booth. "Don't worry about a thing, Agent. There's no way this jury will convict you. See you tomorrow." He shook Booth's hand and left.

_You're probably right, they won't convict me, _Booth thought. _But will my reputation survive the trial?_ Putting on a brave face, he turned to face his squints. "How do you guys think it went?"

"Give Booth a hug, sweetie," Angela whispered to her best friend. "I think he could use it."

Brennan trusted Angela's instincts. She wrapped her arms around her partner, feeling his tense muscles gradually relax in her embrace. "Thanks, Bones." When the hug eventually ended, she stayed by his side.

"The ADA's trying to make you look like a trigger happy psycho," Hodgins answered.

"Jack!" Angela gave her lover a look of death.

"But I don't think the jury's buying it," Hodgins quickly added.

"Your lawyer did a good job attacking Vega's testimony," Zach put in. "He appears to be a reasonably intelligent individual."

"Which coming from you is a big compliment," Angela said.

"Tierney's doing well, I agree," Cam said. "You're going to be fine, Seeley."

Booth was grateful to have their support. He found it hard to believe that only two years ago he had resented working with these people. Now they were among his best friends. "How about we all go to the diner together?"

"That sounds nice, but Hodgins and I already have plans," Angela said, seemingly apologetic.

"We do?" Hodgins was confused.

"Yes, we do. Remember?" She stepped on his foot.

"I do now," Hodgins said, trying to not wince in pain.

"I don't have plans," Zach said.

Cam decided to step in before Angela could strangle him. "Yes you do, Zach. You have work to finish in the lab. I have work to do too, so I'll give you a ride."

Zach could tell he was missing something; he would ask Hodgins about it later. "Okay."

"You two have fun at the diner," Angela said suggestively as she and Hodgins followed Cam and Zach out of the courtroom.

Brennan laughed. "She never gives up."

"She's a good friend. Are you ready to go?" His hand had already found its way to the small of her back without him realizing it.

"I'm ready."

As they left the courtroom, Booth told himself that he needed to remember to thank Angela later.

XXXXXXXXXX

"How are you feeling, Bones?" He asked as they sat in their regular booth and waited for their food.

"How am I feeling? You're the one on trial for murder and you're worried about me?"

"Well, the things they brought up in court today...Kenton, the Gravedigger, Epps...weren't exactly happy memories."_ That's the understatement of the year. Each of those bastards could have taken you away from me forever._

"No, they're not happy memories, but I've already dealt with them. Dwelling on the past is counterproductive." In truth, her near death experiences plagued her every once and while, but she found that if she buried herself in work she could drive them out of her mind.

"So you're saying that you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay, Booth. Really." If she said it enough times maybe she could convince herself as well as him.

He wanted to believe her, but he could tell she was holding back from him. "I want you to know that it's okay if you're not okay. You don't have to be strong all the time. When something is bothering you, you can talk to me about it, whatever it is. I'm your partner, Bones. You can tell me anything."

"I know." Guiltily she thought about how she had never told him about Carter's offer to her. She wanted to tell him, but he had bigger problems to deal with at the moment. She decided to change the subject before her resolve weakened. "Your trial hasn't been all bad memories. At times it was entertaining."

"Entertaining? How?"

"When Horgan said that he loved his clown speaker I almost laughed. And when the ADA said that you were secretly in love with me? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

Booth forced himself to laugh. "Yeah, that was ridiculous." _God, Bones, if you only knew._

XXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later Booth dropped Brennan off at her apartment building. She was exhausted and couldn't wait to take a long, hot shower and climb into bed. As she walked down the hallway to her apartment, completely absorbed in her thoughts, a male voice startled her.

"I had started to think you weren't coming home tonight."

Brennan's heart stopped as she saw Detective Sam Carter, his eyes once again filled with lust, standing in front of her door.

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Thanks again to all my phenomenal reviewers, and to my dear CalleighAryn for her feedback and suggestions. I hope this chapter answers a lot of your questions!**

"Detective, I can file a formal complaint against you for harassment," Brennan said when the initial shock of seeing him in front of her apartment had dissipated. "Step away from my door."

He held up his hands as if he were a suspect surrendering to the authorities. "I don't mean you any harm, Dr. Brennan. I came here to apologize. The things I said to you during our last encounter were totally inappropriate. I've never done anything like that before, please believe me. I'm so sorry if I offended you."

Brennan knew that she couldn't read live people as well as she could read the dead, but she thought that he sounded genuine. "Okay, I accept your apology. You can go now."

"Wait!" He said, a note of panic in his voice. "Just give me a minute of your time and then I'll leave, I promise. Merely saying that I'm sorry doesn't seem enough...Let me take you out for a nice dinner. We'll go to a really fancy restaurant and you can order whatever you want."

The intensity in his eyes was starting to scare her. "That's not necessary. I've already accepted your apology, so you don't owe me anything." Her instincts were telling her to hit him, but she ignored them. She knew how bad it would look for Booth if she attacked his arresting officer, yet if he wouldn't leave she might not have a choice.

"I'll be honest with you, Dr. Brennan. I don't want to take you out just because I feel I owe you something. I like you a lot. In fact, I can't get you out of my head. Give me one date, one chance to show you that I'm really a decent guy. If at the end of that date you're not convinced, I'll never bother you again."

Brennan backed away from him, her body preparing itself to fight. "No. You've had your one minute, so leave."

His face contorted in anger. "You went out with Nathan for three weeks and you won't go out on _one_ date with me? I know I'm not as handsome as he was, but unlike him I've NEVER hit a woman. He abused and then murdered Melissa Kincaid! I'm a police officer; I lock murderers up. Can you honestly say he was a better man than I am?"

"You're right that Nathan wasn't a good man," she said fiercely. "But neither are you."

"You don't want to insult me, Dr. Brennan. Don't you realize how much I can hurt your beloved Booth?"

She remembered his lie about the tape in the interrogation room. "You're bluffing. If you had any real evidence against Booth, you would have given it to the prosecution."

"I don't need evidence to make him look bad. You do realize that it doesn't matter if he's acquitted in the end. The longer this trial goes on, the more damage it does to his reputation. If you'll go out with me, I'll pull some strings and make sure the trial comes to a quick end. After everything he's done for you, you won't go out on one date to end his suffering? Are you that ungrateful? Think about it. This is your chance to help him."

She thought back to the mental debate she had had in the shower after Carter's first offer. _Booth would do anything for you; wouldn't you do anything for him? _Yes, she would do anything for him...but she couldn't do this. If Booth discovered that she had gone out on a date with the man who arrested him for murder, he would feel betrayed. She refused to hurt him that way. "My answer is still no."

"You're making a big mistake."

"If you think that you can use my concern for my partner to get me to sleep with you, then the mistake is yours," she snapped. "Booth doesn't need any help; his trial is going well."

"We'll see about that." He glared at her for a few seconds before walking away down the hall.

Brennan entered her apartment and locked the door behind her. Her heart was racing and she took several deep breaths to calm herself. She needed to tell someone what had happened. Normally that someone would be Booth, but she knew he would feel the need to hurt Carter or at the very least threaten him, neither of which would help his case. There was only one other person she could talk to. Picking up her phone, she dialed Angela's number.

"Sweetie! Did you and Booth have a good time at the diner?" Angela asked excitedly when she saw Brennan's name come up on caller ID.

"It was fine. But--"

"Did the whole 'Booth being secretly in love with you' thing come up in conversation?" She interrupted.

"Yes, I told him that I thought it was ridiculous. But that's--"

Angela groaned. "Please tell me you didn't use the word 'ridiculous.' Oh, hon, you probably broke his heart. You should--"

"ANGELA! That's not what I called to talk to you about!"

Angela was stunned; she rarely heard Brennan shout. "Something bad happened, didn't it? I promise I won't interrupt you again, just tell me." For the next few minutes she remained silent, except for the occasional gasp, as Brennan told her about both encounters with Carter. "OH MY GOD! What a creep! I'm coming over to your place right now."

"You don't have to do that. I don't want to interrupt your evening with Hodgins."

"Hodgins and I have already done it twice tonight, and right now this is much more important. I'll be there in about twenty minutes. Fifteen if Hodgins lets me borrow the sports car." She hung up before Brennan had a chance to argue.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I know you like to keep things to yourself, but I wish you had told me about this six weeks ago," Angela said fifteen minutes later when she arrived at Brennan's apartment and sat down on the couch beside her. "I could have helped you deal with it."

" I didn't think I needed help," Brennan replied.

"You didn't _want_ to need help. But sweetie, you're my best friend. I'm happy to do whatever I can to–Oh my God!" Her eyes widened as the thought hit her like a proverbial ton of bricks.

"What's wrong?" Brennan asked.

"Sweetie, what if...what if Carter killed Nathan?" She stood up and started walking around the room, her mind working feverishly to put the pieces together.

"He does have a rather unhealthy obsession with me, but it's a leap to say that he's a killer."

"I know, but making leaps is something Booth would do, and since you won't tell Booth I'll have to be the leap maker for the moment." Several minutes of silence and several laps later, she sat down again. "Okay, I think I got it. Carter waiting for you to get home...that's something a stalker would do, right? What if Carter's been stalking you for a while now? He wants to make a move on you, but there are two men in his way: Nathan and Booth. He knows that he doesn't have a chance with you while either of them are around, so he watches and waits.

"Then one day opportunity smiles on him. He finds out that Booth threatened to kill Nathan. He kills Nathan himself and then arrests Booth for the crime. Now he has the perfect excuse to ask all of your friends and co-workers everything he wants to know about you. He learns how close you and Booth are, so he figures that you'll sleep with him to help Booth. When you turn him down, he stays away for a while to reconsider his strategy. Tonight he decides it's time to try again."

"And I turn him down again. It's a good story, Ange, but we don't have any proof."

"What if you pretend that you changed your mind? You could get him to repeat his offer while you wear a wire."

Brennan thought for a few minutes before answering. "I don't think he'd believe that I'd really changed my mind. But we could search his house. If he's been stalking me, he might have pictures of me or newspaper clippings about the Jeffersonian."

"Booth could get a warrant."

"Booth's been suspended, remember? Maybe I could ask Agent Ryan to get one."

"Booth's friend? The agent who testified about him shooting Kenton?"

Brennan nodded. "I'll go talk to him tomorrow morning before the trial." She gave Angela a hug. "Thanks for your help, Ange."

"Anytime, sweetie," she said as she returned the hug. "I think you should stay with me and Hodgins tonight, just to be safe."

"I don't want to impose on--"

"Bren, Hodgins' house could swallow the Jeffersonian and still have room for dessert. He has plenty of room to spare; we'll give you your own wing if you want. Please say yes. If not, I'll be awake all night worrying about you."

"Okay, I'll stay with you. Let me pack some of my things." She went into her bedroom to grab a pair of pajamas, then headed to her bathroom to collect her toiletries. She threw everything into a bag and rejoined Angela in her living room. "I'm ready."

"Alright, let's go." As they walked out of the apartment, Angela asked, "You are going to tell Booth about this at some point, right?"

"Yes."

"Good, because Carter needs to get his ass kicked."

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Thanks as always to my fabulous reviewers and my wonderfully supportive friend CalleighAryn.**

_Something bad has happened to Bones, I just know it. She should be here by now. What if she needs my help? What if she's in danger right now?_

"You need to relax, Agent Booth," Tierney told him as they sat in the courtroom, waiting for day two of his trial to begin. "You don't want the jury to see you looking so tense."

"I'll relax when I know that Bones is okay." He checked his watch for the hundredth time. It was 8:53. His trial would start again in seven minutes. The rest of the squints were already seated behind him, so why wasn't she here? He decided to question Angela again. "Angela, where--"

"Booth, no matter how many times you ask me, the answer will still be the same," she said as she got up from her seat and approached him. "She said she had an errand to run."

"What kind of errand?"

Angela didn't want to lie to him, but she couldn't tell him that Brennan was meeting with Agent Ryan to try to get a warrant to search Carter's house. "She didn't say, but I'm sure she's fine."

"Why isn't she answering her phone then?"

"I think her battery might have died. She left her charger in her apartment last night." Too late Angela realized that she had said too much.

Booth sensed that there was something going on here, and he intended to find out what it was. "What do you mean she left it in her apartment? Where was she last night?"

"No need to get jealous; she was staying with me. I...uh...wanted to have a girl's night. You know, watch a couple chick flicks, gossip about guys...have pillow fights in our underwear." Hoping to distract him from his questioning, she added, "Have you ever imagined Brennan in her underwear?"

_Well, now I am._ _I bet she wears silk or lace or– _Seeing Angela smirking at him, he pulled himself together. "That doesn't sound like something Bones would agree to. What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing," she said, hoping she sounded convincing.

_Does she really think that she can lie to me? _"I can tell that you're hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything." _Except for the whole "Carter is a creep who tried to blackmail Brennan into sleeping with him and she stayed with me last night because I was afraid he might hurt her" thing. __I wish I could tell you, because I REALLY want you to kick Carter's ass, but it's not my secret to tell._

"Angela, I will find out sooner or--"

"Sweetie!" Angela interrupted as she saw Brennan entering the courtroom and walking towards them. "Thank God you're here," she said when Brennan reached them. "Booth was very worried about you. I'll let you two talk." She returned to her seat at Hodgins' side.

"Why were you worried about me?" Brennan asked him.

"I went to your apartment this morning, hoping to make you breakfast, and you weren't there, and I kept calling you but you didn't answer, so I thought that you might be in trouble." _God, if something had happened to Bones and I couldn't help her because I was sitting in this courtroom I would have never forgiven myself. Please let me be there for her whenever she needs me._

She saw the pain in his eyes and regretted that she had been the cause. "I couldn't answer my phone because my battery ran out this morning. I'm sorry that I made you worry."

He smiled for the first time that morning. "It's okay, I'm just glad that you're safe."

He was looking at her with such affection that Brennan wondered if the ADA had been right after all. Was Booth really in love with her? Was she in love with him? She wasn't even sure she knew what romantic love was. She remembered Sully trying to define it for her once. What had he said?_ "When you can't stop thinking about someone when they're not around...when you remember their touch just like they were still right next to you...". _She did think a lot about Booth when he wasn't around, and she always remembered how good it felt to have his arms around her. Whether it was love or not, she felt more for him than for any lover she had had in her life.

Booth saw a look of confusion spread across her face and wondered what was going on in her squinty brain. "Bones, is something wrong?"

"No, no I'm fine. I'm...going to take my seat now." She turned her back to him and sat beside Angela. Booth watched her for a few moments before he returned to his own seat.

"Was your mission successful?" Angela asked her quietly.

"Yes, he said he'd try to get it," Brennan answered.

Booth spun around to face them. "Who's 'he'? Try to get what?"

The arrival of the judge, the honorable Mary Lyon, spared Brennan from having to lie to her partner. As day two of the trial officially began, ADA Olson called the prosecution's next witness, a rookie FBI agent named Patrick Wheeler. _The last time I saw this kid he was still getting lost in the Hoover building, _Booth thought. _But that was six weeks ago. He probably knows where all the bathrooms are by now._

"Agent Wheeler, you were working late in the FBI building the night that Agent Booth brought Nathan Spencer in for questioning?" Olson asked.

"Yes, I was in my office catching up on paperwork."

"What happened around 10:30 P.M that evening?"

"I had been sitting at my desk for a long time, so I decided to take a walk around the building to stretch my legs. I was around the corner from the interrogation room when I heard Agent Booth's voice. He sounded really angry. I didn't want to get in his way, so I stayed where I was for a minute."

"Could you hear what Agent Booth was saying?"

"He was saying that he cared about his partner very much and that he would do whatever he had to do to protect her. Then he said 'I swear to God, Spencer, if you hurt her I will fucking kill you.'"

_He really does care about me, _Brennan thought as she heard Wheeler's words. _He's a good man- he would care about any partner he was working with. Booth wanting to protect me is a manifestation of his alpha-male personality; it doesn't necessarily mean that he loves me...does it?_

"So he threatened to kill Nathan Spencer at about 10:30 P.M. Did you believe that Agent Booth was serious?"

"He definitely sounded serious, and Agent Booth seems to be a man of his word."

"And, according to the medical examiner's report, at approximately what time was Nathan Spencer killed?"

"Between midnight and two a.m."

"So Nathan Spencer was killed around two to four hours after Booth made his threat?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Agent Wheeler. No further questions." He returned to his seat as Tierney stood up.

"Agent Wheeler, why was Nathan Spencer being interrogated?"

"His ex-girlfriend had been found murdered."

"So Agent Booth had just found out that the man dating his partner was a murder suspect. Do you think that fact bothered him?"

"Yes."

"Do you think he may have been worried for Dr. Brennan's safety?"

"I'm sure he was."

"So is it possible that Booth threatened Spencer only to scare him?" Tierney asked.

"It's possible, I guess."

"You guess? How long have you known Agent Booth?"

"I met him two months ago when I started working for the FBI."

"Spencer's murder happened six weeks ago, so you had known Agent Booth for only two weeks when you heard him make this threat, correct?"

"That's correct."

"And Agent Booth has been suspended for the past six weeks, pending the outcome of this trial, so you haven't had any contact with him since then?"

"No, I haven't."

"So, having known Agent Booth for only two weeks, you can't really say whether his threat was serious or not, can you?"

"I guess not."

"And yet, based on your interactions with him, you believed him to be a man of his word, isn't that what you said?"

"Yes, sir."

"So if Agent Booth said that he didn't kill Nathan Spencer, which is what he said to his arresting officer, you would believe him?"

"Yes, I would."

"Thank you, Agent Wheeler. No further questions." Tierney returned to his seat and Judge Lyon dismissed Wheeler.

Olson stood up again. "Your honor, for our next witness the prosecution calls Angela Montenegro."

"You'll be fine, babe," Hodgins told her, giving her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. "Remember that I love you."

"As if I could ever forget it," she said with a smile. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and walked to the witness box.

"Ms. Montenegro, have long have you known Agent Booth?" Olson asked after she had been sworn in.

"Two years."

"Two years? Much longer than Agent Wheeler then. How would you describe him?"

"He's a great man, a caring friend, and a dedicated FBI agent. I consider myself lucky to know him." Normally when she described Booth to people, she would also say something about him being incredibly sexy, but she felt that expressing her admiration for his physical features would be a little inappropriate in a courtroom setting.

"So you know him well?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you believe that he killed Nathan Spencer?"

"No. I'd believe that aliens were secretly taking over the planet before I'd believe that Booth was a cold blooded killer." She had heard a lot of theories about aliens lately, thanks to her conspiracy loving boyfriend. _Sorry, Hodgins._

"But when Detective Carter questioned you, you said that you believed Booth would kill for Dr. Brennan, isn't that true?"

_Carter. That bastard. _"He pressured me until I said what he wanted."

"He wanted you to tell the truth, didn't he?"

_He doesn't care about the truth, he just wants to screw my best friend. _"I don't believe Booth killed Nathan. That's the truth."

"But that's not what you said to your co-worker, Dr. Hodgins, is it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Right before he questioned you, Detective Carter overheard a conversation between you and Dr. Hodgins, which he recorded in his notes." He handed her a piece of paper. "This is a copy of his notes. "M" refers to you, "H" to Dr. Hodgins. Would you read it for the court?"

Angela stared at the paper, reading the words she had said weeks ago. Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. She tried to hold them back, but they slid down her cheeks and landed on the paper, smudging the black ink.

Seeing Angela cry made Hodgins' heart ache. He wished he could run up there and rescue her. He hated Olson and Carter and anyone else who would hurt this wonderful woman.

Olson didn't want the jury to think he was heartless, so he left her alone for a minute. Finally he said, as politely as he could manage, "Ms. Montenegro, please read the paper."

She wished she could refuse, but she knew she didn't have a choice. Choking back a sob, she wiped away her tears as she read. "M: What if Booth really did it? We all know how much he loves Brennan, and if he thought she was in danger– H: No, Booth's not a murderer. M: He was a sniper, Jack. It's not like he's never killed someone."

"Did Detective Carter record the conversation correctly?"

Angela felt a fresh wave of tears trickle down her face. _How could I have said such things? He's using my own words to hurt Booth! I'll kick his ass myself!_

"Ms. Montenegro, please answer the question."

She looked at Booth, hoping he understood how sorry she was. "Yes."

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I'd like to give a standing ovation for my sensational reviewers and, of course, the wonderful CalleighAryn for her continual support. Thank you all so much!**

_Poor Angela. _She was crying so hard that Olson had stopped trying to ask her questions. _I can't blame her for thinking that I might have killed Spencer. If that bastard had really hurt my Bones, I would have._

Angela's head was throbbing. She hated herself for giving testimony that hurt Booth and Brennan too. She wished she could take some aspirin and crawl into a nice, warm bed with Hodgins beside her. _I hope Booth can forgive me for doubting him_. She saw him whisper something to Tierney before the young lawyer approached her. "Ms. Montenegro, Agent Booth wanted me to tell you that it's okay. He doesn't blame you. He said that he doesn't want to see one of his favorite squints crying."

Angela managed a weak laugh before more tears spilled out of her now red eyes. She felt that she didn't deserve his kindness right now.

"Your honor, would it be possible to get a tissue for Ms. Montenegro?" Tierney asked.

Judge Lyon sent one of the court officers to get a box of tissues. When he returned with the box, he handed it to Tierney, who thanked him before offering it to Angela.

"Thank you," she said as she took a tissue and dried her eyes. Tierney handed the box back to the court officer.

"Ms. Montenegro, I'm curious. Can you tell the court what Booth meant by calling you a 'squint'?"

She smiled. "Booth calls people who work at the Jeffersonian squints because we supposedly squint at human remains or data or whatever it is we're working with. It's a term of endearment."

Booth found himself smiling too. 'Squint' was supposed to be a derogatory term but, as the squints gradually became his friends, he had started using the word with some affection.

"So you and your colleagues are scientists, yes?"

"Well, I consider myself an artist, but I do work with the science of facial reconstruction, so yes."

"As scientists, you often consider many possible scenarios before coming to a conclusion, right?"

"Yes. We look at all the evidence and try to come up with a scenario to explain it. When one scenario doesn't work, we try another one."

"Okay. Now, when you were talking to Dr. Hodgins, you didn't say that you thought Agent Booth killed Spencer. You said _what if _Booth really did it. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"So you were simply verbalizing one possible scenario. That was six weeks ago, in the early days of your investigation. Having considered all the data now, do you think that Agent Booth committed this crime?"

"No, I don't. Booth is an amazing person. He's saved Brennan's life multiple times. She's my best friend in the world, and she would be dead right now if it wasn't for Booth. But Brennan's not the only one he's saved. He once rescued a kidnapped little boy whose finger had been cut off. Another time he shot a suicide bomber who would have killed hundreds of people at a peace conference. He's a real hero and one of the best men I've ever met."

Booth grinned at her. _Thanks, Angela._

"Now Agent Booth threatened Nathan Spencer because he was afraid that Spencer might hurt Dr. Brennan. As Dr. Brennan's best friend, wouldn't you know if Nathan had harmed her?"

"Yes. She would tell me."

"So did Spencer ever abuse Dr. Brennan?"

"No way. If he even tried to hit her she would break his wrist."

"So he hadn't hurt her yet. Do you believe that Agent Booth would kill Spencer to prevent him from hurting Dr. Brennan?"

"No. Booth doesn't take killing lightly. He felt bad that he had to kill the suicide bomber, although he had absolutely no choice and his actions saved hundreds of people. I know in my heart that Booth is completely innocent, and I'm so sorry that I ever doubted him."

"Thank you, Ms. Montenegro. No further questions."

When Judge Lyon dismissed her, Angela quickly returned to her seat. Hodgins took her into his arms instantly, rubbing her back and offering words of comfort.

"Thank God that's over," Angela mumbled.

"You did great, Ange," Brennan said.

"Thanks, sweetie."

"The prosecution may call their next witness," Judge Lyon declared.

"Thank you, your honor. The prosecution calls Detective Samuel Carter."

Angela gasped a little too loudly. "Bastard!" She said under her breath. She grabbed Brennan's hand and squeezed it. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Brennan answered. She looked him in the eye as he walked past her; she refused to be intimidated by him.

Booth overheard the conversation and tried to make sense of it. _Of course Angela would think Carter was a bastard for recording her conversation with Hodgins, but why would she think his testimony would affect Bones? Did Carter do something to her?_

"Detective Carter, would you tell the court how you came to arrest Agent Booth?" Olson asked.

"We received an anonymous call that a body had been found in an alley. Myself and other officers went to the scene to investigate. The victim still had his wallet, and his driver's license identified him as Nathan Spencer. When we ran Spencer's name through the system, we saw that the FBI had picked him up the night before.When I asked around the Hoover Building, Agent Wheeler told me about Booth's threat, so I brought him in for questioning."

"What was Agent Booth's demeanor when he was brought in for questioning?"

"Normally when you tell someone that you want to question them about a murder, they get nervous or scared. Not Booth. He didn't seem worried at all. He didn't even seem sorry that Nathan was dead. In fact, he looked like he was trying not to laugh."

_I was trying not to laugh, _Booth recalled. _But it was because the situation was so absurd!_

"Did his attitude change once you started questioning him?"

"Yeah. Once we started talking about Dr. Brennan dating the victim, he became agitated. It was clear that he was jealous."

"Objection!" Tierney shouted. "Your honor, is the witness a mind reader?"

"Sustained," Judge Lyon ruled.

"Okay, I'll rephrase," Carter said. "Booth _seemed_ to be jealous that Dr. Brennan was dating Nathan Spencer. I asked Booth why he had interrogated Spencer, and he told me that he was a suspect in Melissa Kincaid's murder. When he said that he had to let Spencer go because he didn't have any hard evidence against him, Booth appeared to be very upset."

"Did you ask Agent Booth if he had an alibi for the time of the murder?"

"Yes. He said he spent the night in his car outside Dr. Brennan's apartment, watching in case Spencer tried anything, but we didn't find anyone who could support his story."

_I doubt you even looked, _Brennan thought. _Booth spent the night watching my apartment to make sure that I was okay? That might support the "Booth loves me" hypothesis._

"So you arrested Agent Booth because he had threatened the victim hours before his death and had no alibi for the time of the murder?"

"Yes. I was convinced that Booth was our killer. He practically admitted it."

"How so?"

"During my questioning, I suggested that Booth might have killed Spencer not to protect Dr. Brennan, but because letting him go was an insult to his professional pride. I said that he didn't care about his partner, only his career. When I said that, Booth got very angry. He said _'_Bones is more than a partner to me. She's my best friend and I would do anything for her.'"

_Booth considers me his best friend, _Brennan reflected. _Maybe all he feels for me is a strong sense of friendship._

"You took that to mean that he was willing to kill for her?"

"Yes. As I questioned Agent Booth's co-workers at the FBI and Dr. Brennan's co-workers at the Jeffersonian, and as I looked into their past cases, it seemed obvious that Booth had been telling the truth--he was willing to do anything for her...and it turns out that she was willing to do anything for him. That much she made clear to me when I went to her apartment to question her."

_What is he talking about? _Booth thought. He turned around to look at Bones and Angela. Both looked very anxious.

"What happened in Dr. Brennan's apartment?"

"I told her that we had a tape of Booth beating Spencer up in the interrogation room. It wasn't true, but I wanted to see her reaction. She completely believed me. She said that she knew Booth had killed Spencer, but she didn't want him to go to jail. So she made me an offer."

Booth felt his whole body shake with rage. _He's lying! There's no way in hell Bones would say that!_

_You're the one who made the offer!_ Brennan's mind shouted. She could see Booth shaking. _I should have told him about Carter. _Leaning forward in her seat, she poked her partner's back. "Booth, he's lying."

"I know, Bones," he said through gritted teeth.

"What was the offer, Detective Carter?" Olson asked

Carter pretended he was reluctant. In truth, he couldn't wait to see the damage his remarks were about to cause. "Dr. Brennan is a great woman. I don't want to say anything that might ruin her reputation."

"You're under oath, Detective. You have to tell the truth. What was the offer?"

"Dr. Brennan said that if I destroyed the tape... she would sleep with me."

Booth leapt to his feet. "YOU LYING SONOFABITCH! SHE WOULD NEVER DO THAT!"

"Mr. Tierney, control your client!" Judge Lyon ordered.

"Sit down, Booth," Tierney whispered, putting his hand on Booth's arm. Booth ignored him. _I'm supposed to just sit there while that piece of garbage spreads lies about my Bones?!_

Carter could see that Booth was ready to explode. All he had to do was give him a little push. "I'm sorry, Booth, but it's true. Your partner, the woman you've wanted to screw for years, offered herself to me like a common whore."

Brennan jumped out of her seat as Booth rushed towards the witness stand. _Oh God, _she thought. _He's going to kill Carter right here in the courtroom!_

**Thanks for reading! All comments make me ridiculously happy. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I was blown away by all the feedback for Ch.12; I've never had a chapter of any story get so many reviews! Thanks a million for your comments!**

_He insulted my Bones. He must be punished._

If Booth had listened to the logical part of his brain, it could have told him that Carter was trying to provoke him. It could have told him that Carter wanted him to get angry, and that by doing so he was allowing himself to be manipulated. It could have told him that it was a really bad idea to attack a witness in a courtroom--while the judge, jury, lawyers, court officers and spectators watched–when you were on trial for murder.

But Booth wasn't thinking logically right now. In fact, he wasn't thinking at all. He had stopped thinking the moment that bastard Carter had called Bones a common whore. Primal instinct was driving him now, telling him that he needed to hurt Carter for hurting the woman he loved. Unfortunately, the court officers weren't going to stand idly by while he beat the crap out of a witness. As he rushed to the witness stand, two officers grabbed him. Booth struggled to free himself from their grasp. No one was going to stop him from getting to Carter and kicking his sorry ass.

"Agent Booth!" Judge Lyon shouted. "If you don't calm down right now, I will have you removed from the courtroom!" She couldn't blame Booth for wanting to attack Carter after the inappropriate remark he had made about his partner, but she wouldn't allow violence in her courtroom.

As the judge spoke, Brennan ran in front of Booth, blocking Carter from his view. She knew that she had to stop him. If he attacked Carter now, in front of the jury, they might believe he was capable of killing Nathan. She put her hand on his arm. "Booth, stop. If you hurt him now, he wins."

Her bright eyes, silently pleading with him, and her gentle touch slowly brought him back to his senses. _Damn it! She's right... as usual._ Reluctantly he stopped resisting the officers. "I'm sorry, your honor. I've calmed down now."

Tierney knew that Booth and Brennan needed to talk. "Your honor, I would like to request a short recess to allow my client some time to cool off."

"Very well," Judge Lyon agreed. "The court will reconvene in one hour. When we return, Agent Booth, I expect that you will be on your best behavior. If you have another outburst, I will have you charged with contempt of court. As for you, Detective Carter, I would _strongly_ encourage you to watch your language, or you'll find yourself charged with contempt as well." She banged her gavel and the courtroom began to empty.

As soon as the court officers released Booth, Brennan took his hand and quickly led him away from Carter.

"Dr. Brennan!" Tierney called after her as they were walking out of the courtroom. They stopped walking so he could catch up with them. "When you two finish talking, can you tell me what really happened with Carter so I can prepare my questions for him?"

"Of course," Brennan said. "I'll do whatever I can to help you attack his testimony."

"Alright. I'll be here when you guys are done."

The sun blinded them when they left the dark courtroom. "Where should we go?" Booth asked as they stood on the steps, squinting against the harsh light. He realized that Brennan was still holding his hand. _Is it because she wants to, or because she thinks that if she lets go I'll try to hurt Carter again?_

"There's a nice park a few blocks from here," she replied. It suddenly occurred to her that she was still clutching Booth's hand. Feeling self-conscious, she let go of him. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Bones." They stood still in awkward silence. "Okay, let's go to the park," he said moments later when the tension became unbearable.

Less than ten minutes later they arrived at the heart of the park, walking by dog walkers, moms pushing strollers, and a group of shirtless young men playing ultimate frisbee. They found an empty bench and sat down. Brennan stared at the ground. "I'm not sure where to start."

"Start at the beginning, Bones," Booth said.

Brennan took a deep breath. She couldn't put this off any longer. "When Carter came to my apartment to question me six weeks ago, the day we talked to Melissa Kincaid's father, he did tell me there was a tape of you beating up Nathan in the interrogation room. That part you know. But I didn't believe him, and I told him that. He said that it didn't matter what I believed, that the jury would see the tape and think that you had killed him. He said that he could make the tape disappear if he had the proper incentive. Then he touched my hair."

The rage Booth had felt in the courtroom consumed his body once again. _How dare he touch her! _"You didn't break his wrist for touching you?"

"I was so surprised. I couldn't believe it was happening; I thought that maybe I had misunderstood him, but then he said I was beautiful and he..." She trailed off as tears filled her eyes.

"And he what?" Booth said, afraid to hear what she was going to say but needing to know.

"He called me Bones. I told him that you were the only one who could call me that."

_That settles it, Carter needs to die. _He put his arm around her shoulders. "What happened next?" He asked gently.

"I told him to leave, and he did. As he left, he said I shouldn't tell you what happened because you attacking the officer who had arrested him would look bad at his trial."

"And you listened to him?" Booth couldn't believe it. "You let him silence you?"

Brennan backed away from him angrily. "I didn't let him do anything. He wanted me to tell you so you'd go after him, just like you did today. You were already going to trial for Nathan's murder; I didn't want you on trial for killing Carter too!"

Her words stung him. "You think I killed Nathan?" His voice was harsher than he had intended.

"No, I don't. I think Carter might have. I asked your friend Agent Ryan to get a warrant to search his house. Anyway, I knew you would do something to Carter if I told you about him, so I didn't say anything. Then last night he came to my apartment again. He pretended he was sorry about what he had said before and asked me to go out with him. He said if I did he would pull some strings to end your trial. When I said no, he said that he would make things look bad for you in court. He said what he said today to get you upset, and you did exactly what he wanted you to do!"

"Well, maybe if you had told me about Carter earlier, I would have known he was an asshole and I wouldn't have gotten so upset!"

"It's not like you tell me everything!" She shouted, getting off the bench and moving to stand in front of him. "You didn't tell me about threatening Ortez until I asked you about it. You didn't tell me about almost choking Vega until I brought it up. How many other people have you assaulted for me without telling me?"

He stood up too. They were so close now that their noses were nearly touching. "You think I enjoy assaulting people? You think I get off on it? I do what I have to do to protect YOU! It's all for you! I'll go after anyone who dares to hurt MY Bones!" He knew as soon as he said it that it was the wrong thing to say.

"YOUR Bones? Is that why you go around threatening people, because you don't want them damaging YOUR property?"

"No, I do it because I--" He stopped himself. _I almost said 'because I love you.' I can't say that now. The first time I say those words to her they won't be in anger._

"Because you what?" Brennan said. _Was he about to say 'because I love you'? Or am I just imagining things? Logically, there are a million ways to complete that sentence that have nothing to do with love._

"Because I...care about you." He cringed at how pathetic he sounded.

"Oh." _Is that it? Well, that makes sense. Why would he love me? Consider the facts. I'm socially inept and I don't know anything about popular culture. I use sophisticated technical vocabulary that he doesn't understand. I mock his religious beliefs. I say the wrong things to people or attack them without warning, and I piss them off, so that Booth feels he has to step in and protect me. I'm probably an embarrassment to him, but he takes care of me because he pities me and needs my expertise. _She could feel new tears forming in her eyes, but she refused to let them loose. "We should go. I need to tell Tierney the truth about Carter."

She began to walk away and Booth followed her. Neither said a word as they returned to the courthouse. _God, I really messed things up, _Booth thought as they walked. _How am I going to fix this?_

XXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the hour long recess flew by, and Booth was once again sitting beside Tierney at the defendant's table while Carter took the stand. The sight of him made Booth's blood boil, but he was determined now to stay calm. He wouldn't allow Carter to manipulate him again.

"Detective Carter, before the recess, you used a very insensitive word to refer to Dr. Brennan. Why would you do that?" Olson asked.

"I apologize to the court and to Dr. Brennan for my choice of words," Carter said. "I was merely trying to prove a point."

"What point is that, Detective?"

"That Booth is easily moved to violence on his partner's behalf. You saw how he rushed at me, the crazy look in his eyes, and all I did was insult her. Imagine what he would have done to me if the court officers hadn't stopped him. Imagine the anger he felt towards Nathan Spencer when he thought Spencer might abuse her. He just can't control himself."

_I'll make you pay for this, _Booth thought angrily._ Just you wait._

"Thank you, Detective. No further questions." Olson returned to the prosecutor's table.

Tierney approached the witness stand. "Detective Carter, how long have you worked with the D.C. police?"

"Sixteen years."

"That's a long time. Long enough to know that perjury is considered a serious offense, punishable by up to five years in prison. You do know that, don't you?"

"I know the law, Mr. Tierney," he said condescendingly.

"So why did you choose to disregard it today? Why did you lie on the stand?"

"I didn't lie."

"Well, Dr. Brennan told me that _you_ were the one who propositioned her, not once but twice. She said that _you_ were the one to offer to destroy the tape in exchange for sex. She said that you visited her again last night with a new offer- sleep with you and you'd pull strings to end this trial. Dr. Brennan's a highly respected, world renowned forensic anthropologist. Are you saying she's a liar?"

"She would say anything to protect herself and Agent Booth. What reason do I have to lie?"

"I don't know. Maybe you wanted revenge because she turned you down TWICE after you worked so hard to kill her boyfriend and frame her partner?" Cries of surprise erupted from several spectators.

"That's ridiculous!" Carter shouted.

"Objection!" Olson cried.

"Mr. Tierney, is there any evidence to support this allegation?" Judge Lyon asked.

"Not yet, your honor, but the FBI is looking into Detective Carter as a possible suspect," Tierney said.

Booth saw Carter look nervous for the first time. He recovered quickly, however. His look of anxiety was instantly replaced by a neutral expression.

"Objection overruled. You may continue, Mr. Tierney, but tread carefully."

"Thank you, your honor. So, Detective, you said that you questioned Dr. Brennan's associates. All of their interviews were at the Jeffersonian. Why didn't you question Dr. Brennan at the Jeffersonian? Why go to her apartment?"

"I thought she might be more comfortable talking to me privately at home."

"She does have a private office. She spends a lot of time working, so I gather that she's pretty comfortable there. But I guess her office doesn't have a bed in it, does it?"

"I would NEVER offer to destroy evidence in exchange for sexual favors. That's completely unprofessional."

"How could you destroy evidence that doesn't exist? You said yourself that there was no tape, that you lied to see Dr. Brennan's reaction. As for professionalism, you don't think it was unprofessional to call Dr. Brennan a whore just to make Agent Booth mad? The poor guy is on trial for a murder he didn't commit-- doesn't he have enough problems?"

"I've already explained why I did that. I was proving a point."

"So you don't believe that Dr. Brennan is a whore?"

"Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. I don't know her very well."

"You don't know her very well, but you're willing to call her a whore in open court? Surely there were other words you could have used to incite Agent Booth. Why call her a whore unless she had pissed you off? She rejected you, so you lied on the stand to ruin her reputation and provoke her partner in one fell swoop, didn't you?"

"No, of course not!"

"OBJECTION!" Olson shouted. "This is all speculation; he doesn't have any proof!"

"Sustained," Judge Lyon ruled. "Move on, Mr. Tierney."

"I have no further questions at this time, your honor." He had wanted to crack Carter, but the guy was obviously going to stick to his story. Without any evidence against him, there wasn't anything else he could do.

"The witness may step down," Judge Lyon said.

Carter bit his lip to keep himself from smiling as he left the witness stand. _They don't have anything on me. They can't prove a thing._

"The prosecution may call their next witness."

"Thank you, your honor. The prosecution calls Dr. Temperance Brennan."

**Thanks for reading. All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Thanks as always to my marvelous reviewers and to CalleighAryn for her suggestions. I can't believe the day of the season premiere has finally arrived!**

"Don't worry, Dr. Brennan, I'm not going to insult you," Olson said when she took the stand. "I wouldn't want Agent Booth to come after me."

_Don't think I wouldn't go after you just because you're an ADA, _Booth thought. _It doesn't matter who you are—mess with my Bones and I'll take you down._

"Objection!" Tierney called.

"Sustained," Judge Lyon ruled. "Be mindful of your tone, Mr. Olson."

"I apologize for my feeble attempt at humor, your honor. So, Dr. Brennan, in your own words, how would you describe your relationship with Agent Booth?"

Remembering the advice of the jury consultant in the Schilling case, Brennan resolved to answer his questions simply, using as few words as possible. She didn't want to give him any room to twist her words against Booth. "We're partners."

"And friends too?"

"Yes."

"You dedicated one of your books to him, so am I correct in assuming that you're very good friends?"

"Yes."_ Yet 'friend' seems like a woefully inadequate word to describe the depth of our relationship._

"Do you trust him?"

"Yes." Looking at Booth, she had to add: "More than anyone else I've ever known." She saw him smile at her words.

"And you have an open, honest relationship? You share things with each other?"

"Yes." _Most of the time._

"Now we've heard testimony that Agent Booth has saved your life on more than one occasion, but you've also saved his life, correct?"

"Yes." She knew where this was headed and tried to prepare herself.

Realizing that Dr. Brennan wasn't going to elaborate, Olson asked "Would you tell the court who Gil Lappin was?"

Hearing the name brought back a familiar twinge of guilt. "He was an accomplice of Howard Epps, a serial killer Booth and I investigated."

"And what happened when you witnessed Mr. Lappin attacking Booth?"

Images of Booth being beaten and falling to the floor flooded her mind. "I shot him."

"A fatal shot?"

"Yes." Brennan shuddered involuntarily at the memory. Booth saw it and wished he could comfort her.

"So you killed a man for Agent Booth?"

"I didn't have a choice. He would have killed Booth."

"Is it true then, as Detective Carter said, that you would do anything for your partner?"

Brennan hesitated. She had asked herself the same question after Carter's second offer. "Anything within reason."

"Would offering yourself to Detective Carter to make the case against Booth go away qualify as 'within reason'?"

"That didn't happen. Carter lied."

"Detective Carter has been with the D.C. police for sixteen years. He's never been accused of perjury before. Why would he do such a thing?"

"I don't know. I'm a forensic anthropologist, not a psychologist." _Of course, psychology isn't a real science anyway._

"A forensic anthropologist with a background in martial arts. Tell me, did Carter touch you inappropriately?"

"Yes, he touched my hair."

"Then why isn't his wrist broken?"

"What?"

"Ms. Montenegro said earlier that if Spencer had tried to hit you, you would have broken his wrist. You broke Howard Epps' wrist when he touched you. If Carter was the one making the offer, and he touched you inappropriately, why didn't you hurt him?"

_I wish I had hurt him! If I had known how he was going to hurt Booth, I would have broken every bone in his body! _"I was showing restraint for Booth's sake."

"Restraint? Dr. Brennan, you attacked a gang leader in the halls of the FBI building, assaulted a Homeland Security agent in an airport, and even shot a senator's aide after breaking into his home. Where was your restraint in those cases?"

"The gang leader and Homeland Security agent both attacked me, and the senator's aide would have lit me on fire."

"I talked to the Homeland Security agent myself. He said that all he did was grab your arm. You call that an attack?"

_What was I supposed to do? Wait for him to actually hurt me before fighting back? _"He didn't identify himself as Homeland Security when he grabbed me."

"So you believed you had just cause for attacking him?"

"Yes."

"If Carter was inappropriate with you, you would have just cause to attack him, wouldn't you? Yet you didn't, because _you_ were the one making the offer. You knew Booth was guilty of Spencer's murder and you wanted to help him out, didn't you?"

"No. That's total conjecture with no basis in fact. Detective Carter made the offer."

"If that were true, why didn't you report him to his superiors?"

"I was planning on dealing with him when Booth's trial was over."

"Why wait?"

"Because trying to find evidence to clear Booth's name was more important."

"But you, one of the top forensic anthropologists in the world, didn't find any evidence to exonerate him, did you?"

_I could have if the FBI had let me do my job! _"The FBI wouldn't let me examine the evidence they took from the scene."

"I see. Now you've said that Booth is a good friend, and that you have an open relationship. Did you tell him about your encounter with Detective Carter?"

"I told him today, during the recess."

"Today? But this incident happened six weeks ago. If it happened as you say, if Carter really propositioned you, why wouldn't you tell him then?"

_Maybe I should have. _"He was stressed about the trial, so I didn't want to add to his worries."

_She was trying to protect me, and I yelled at her for not telling me, _Booth thought. _I'm sorry, Bones._

"Really? It wasn't because you were afraid of what Booth might do to Detective Carter if you told him your version of events? It wasn't because you knew he would act violently towards him, just as he did in the courtroom today?"

Brennan wished she could say no. "I knew Booth would feel obligated to defend me."

Booth was hurt by her choice of words. _Obligated? Bones, I don't defend you just because I feel it's my duty. I do it because I want to do it. Don't you realize how much you mean to me? Of course you don't. I've never had the courage to tell you._

"You knew Booth would kill Detective Carter just as he killed Nathan Spencer, didn't you?"

"No! Booth didn't kill Nathan!"

"So you say. But if you're willing to kill for Booth, why wouldn't you be willing to lie for him too? No further questions, your honor." Olson returned to his seat triumphantly.

Tierney stood up and approached her. "Dr. Brennan, would you tell the court about your family?"

Brennan didn't know why he was asking her that, but she trusted him. "My parents left my brother Russ and me when I was 15."

"Why?"

"They were protecting us from a group of violent criminals who were pursuing them."

"Last year you identified your mother's remains and arrested her killer, Vince McVicar. What happened to Mr. McVicar in prison?"

Now Brennan understood why he had asked about her family. He wanted to create reasonable doubt about Booth's guilt by implicating her father. "McVicar was killed by a fellow inmate, a man my father hired."

"And your father himself killed former FBI agent Garrett Delaney and Deputy Director Robert Kirby to protect you and Russ?"

"Yes." In her mind she could still see their charred remains. She could still remember how disgusted she had felt when they learned that her father was the murderer they were seeking.

"Is it possible that, after learning your boyfriend was a suspect in the murder of Melissa Kincaid, your father decided to have him killed to protect you?"

"Objection!" Olson shouted. "This is more speculation. Your honor, Dr. Brennan's father, Max Keenan, was in federal custody at the time of Nathan Spencer's murder."

"But he could have hired someone to kill Spencer from jail, your honor," Tierney argued.

"Is there any evidence of this?" Judge Lyon asked.

"Well, Nathan Spencer _is_ dead."

"First you accuse Detective Carter, now Max Keenan, but where's your proof?" Olson asked. "You have no forensic evidence to support your claims."

"And you have no forensic evidence against Booth," Tierney countered.

"There isn't any useful forensic evidence in this case," Olson admitted. "It's as if someone with a thorough knowledge of law enforcement evidence collecting techniques cleaned the crime scene...someone like a FBI agent."

"Or a police officer."

"Enough, gentlemen," Judge Lyon ordered. "Mr. Tierney, if you don't have any evidence to suggest that Max Keenan was involved in Spencer's death, move on."

"Yes, your honor. One last question, Dr. Brennan. You and Booth have worked very closely for two years now. You know him better than anyone else in this courtroom. Is there any doubt in your mind, any doubt at all, that Booth is innocent?"

"No," she answered instantly. "No doubt at all. I would bet my life on it." She saw Booth grin at her and mouth the words _Thanks, Bones._

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan. No further questions, your honor."

"The witness may step down."

Tierney and Brennan returned to their seats. "How did I do?" Brennan asked Angela.

"Awesome, sweetie," Angela answered.

"The prosecution may call their next witness," Judge Lyon said.

"Thank you, your honor. The prosecution calls the defendant, Agent Seeley Booth."

_I didn't kill Spencer, so I have nothing to worry about, _Booth told himself as he took the stand. _If he tries to make me angry by saying something about Bones, I'll be ready. I won't take the bait this time._

"Agent Booth, in my opening statement I suggested that you killed Nathan Spencer to protect your partner because you were secretly in love with her. Other witnesses have testified about the strong bond you two share, but I want to hear the truth from your own mouth. Are you in love with Dr. Brennan?"

Booth was temporarily unable to breathe. _Oh, God! This isn't how I wanted her to find out!_ _I didn't want to tell her I loved her in the park because I thought it wasn't the right time. But if I had said it then, at least it would have been just the two of us. Now I have to admit how I feel in front of a courtroom full of people!_

"Agent Booth, I'm still waiting for your answer," Olson said after several moments of silence.

_There's no way around it. I'm under oath; I have to tell the truth._ "Yes." He dared to look at Bones and saw her eyes widen in surprise.

"Do you love her enough to kill for her, if you felt you had no other choice?"

"Yes, but I didn't kill--"

"You didn't kill Nathan Spencer? He just happened to be murdered hours after you threatened to kill him? Do you expect the jury to believe that?"

"It's the truth. I--" He stopped as he saw Agent Ryan entering the courtroom. Ryan came up to Tierney and whispered something to him.

"Excuse me, your honor," Tierney said. "The FBI has just uncovered evidence that could exonerate my client."

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :) One more chapter to go!**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: So all of you who thought I couldn't wrap it up in one chapter were right; there will be an epilogue. Thanks again to everyone who takes the time to review; I really enjoy hearing what you have to say. :)**

"I would like to examine this evidence for myself," Judge Lyon declared. "Do you have it with you now, Agent Ryan?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. I want to see you, Mr. Olson, Mr. Tierney and Agent Booth in my chambers right now." The men she named followed her as she left the courtroom.

Brennan turned to Angela. "What do you think Agent Ryan found?"

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Angela said, brushing it off as unimportant. "Can we talk about the fact that Booth just admitted he's in love with you?"

Brennan blushed. Having recently convinced herself that Booth was definitely _not _in love with her, his confession had taken her completely by surprise. "Why would Booth be in love with me? It's not logical. We're so different, and I drive him crazy all the time."

Angela put her arm around Brennan's shoulders. "Sweetie, love isn't logical. It might be one of the most illogical things in the universe, actually. I never thought that I would be passionately in love with a bug and slime guy. And who could have predicted that a sexy ex-sniper turned FBI agent and a beautiful, brilliant forensic anthropologist would be such a perfect match? Still, everyone who sees you two knows that you belong together."

"A lot of people do assume that we're dating," Brennan observed.

"Exactly! So now that you know how Booth really feels about you, how do you feel about him? Do you love him back?"

Brennan thought about it. "I'm not sure that I want to love him back."

That wasn't the answer Angela had expected. "What? Why not?"

"Ange, everyone I love leaves me."

"Oh, sweetie. Booth isn't 'everyone.' He's not your dad, or Russ, or any other man who walked out of your life. You said on the stand that you trusted him more than anyone else you'd ever known. So trust him now. Trust that he'll never leave you."

"I'm not sure I could handle it if he did," Brennan admitted. "I told you once that I didn't need love in my life, and it's true...but I do need Booth. I made a mistake, Ange. I let him get too close."

"It's not a mistake," Angela said firmly. "Letting Booth into your life is quite possibly the smartest thing you've ever done."

"You think so?" Brennan asked.

"I know so. Poor Booth," she said, recalling how uncomfortable he had looked on the stand. "Can you imagine how hard it must have been for him to admit he loved you in front of all of these people? He's probably terrified about how you'll react. When this mess is over, you need to let him know you return his feelings, okay?"

"Okay," she said reluctantly, hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

Angela had expected Brennan to put up more of a fight. "Really? You'll do it?"

"Yes."

"You promise?"

"Yes, I promise," Brennan said, annoyance creeping into her voice. "What's taking so long? Why aren't they back yet?"

"It's a good sign that they're not back yet. If Judge Lyon didn't believe the evidence was valid, she could have dismissed it already. The fact that they're not back yet suggests that she's taking the time to look at it thoroughly, so she must believe it has some merit." She gave Brennan a reassuring smile. "Just be patient, Bren."

"I'm trying to be patient!" She snapped. "Sorry. It's just frustrating knowing that Booth's future is being decided in that room...and all we can do is wait."

"I know. I'm sure they'll come out any minute now."

Nearly twenty agonizing minutes later, Judge Lyon and the others did come out. Brennan was relieved to see that Booth was smiling.

Judge Lyon took her seat. "All charges against Agent Booth have been dropped. Jurors, I would like to thank you for your service. This case is dismissed."

"YES!" Angela shrieked. She hugged each of her fellow squints in turn.

"Thanks a lot for everything," Booth said to Tierney as he shook his hand.

"You're welcome." He tilted his head towards Brennan and smiled. "Now go get your girl."

_Thanks, _Booth thought. _But what if she doesn't want me to get her? __What if she's mad at me for telling a courtroom full of people that I love her when she doesn't love me back?_

Anxiously he walked over to his squints. "What happened?" Brennan asked eagerly. "What did Ryan find?"

Booth tried to read her face, to see if his declaration of love had affected her, but all he saw there was curiosity. "I'll tell you everything you want to know, but let's get out of here first. To the diner, squints!"

XXXXXXXXXX

When they had settled themselves at a large table, Brennan demanded that Booth tell them every detail.

"Have a little patience, Bones," Booth teased. "Shouldn't we wait until everyone orders?"

"No. I've been patient, Booth. I'm DONE being patient."

Her tone left no room for argument. "Alright. When Ryan showed up at Carter's house with the warrant, he found Carter in the middle of destroying evidence. He had started burning pictures he had taken of you, but there were literally hundreds and he didn't have time to burn them all. He even had pictures of you and him together. I recognized the clothes; they were obviously pictures of us with his head photoshopped on my body."

"That's just...so creepy," Angela said.

"Yeah. But even creepier was a journal Ryan found. It revealed that Carter has been obsessed with you ever since he saw you at a crime scene a couple months ago. He was jealous that I got to spend so much time with you, so he decided that he needed to get me out of the way somehow. When you started dating Spencer, he got even more pissed. He went on for pages and pages about how Spencer didn't deserve you."

"I knew it!" Angela interrupted. "I knew Carter was a psycho stalker!" Seeing her friends' amused expressions, she added, "Sorry. Please continue, Booth."

"Well, get this. After I threatened to kill Spencer the night I interrogated him, he decided to file a complaint against me with the D.C. police. Maybe he didn't trust the FBI to investigate one of their own."

"Nathan told Carter himself about your threat!" Brennan realized.

"Exactly," Booth said.

"Why didn't Carter say that when he was on the stand?" Zach asked. "It would have supported Agent Wheeler's testimony."

"When Carter found out that Wheeler overheard me and could testify about the threat, he decided not to file an official report of Nathan's complaint. That way no one could prove that Carter knew about the threat before the murder, " Booth answered.

"So no one could prove he had framed you. Sneaky bastard," Cam muttered.

Booth nodded. "In his journal he said it was the 'perfect opportunity'. He bragged about how he killed Nathan and arrested me so he could get Bones for himself. After seeing the pictures and the journal, ADA Olson apologized and said he would drop the case against me. Now he's going to indict Carter on murder and perjury charges," he said gleefully.

"And now the FBI can reinstate you and we can get back to work," Brennan added.

_Are we just going to go back to work like nothing happened? _Booth thought. _I don't think I can do that._

"Well, we're happy to have you back, Seeley," Cam said. "Speaking of going back to work, I should go. Do you want a ride, Zacharoni?"

"But I thought we were going to get something to eat," Zach said, feeling very confused. When Cam, Angela and Hodgins glared at him, he remembered how Hodgins had explained to him why they had all refused Booth's last invitation to the diner. "Oh. We're doing the thing where we all leave so Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan can talk. I understand now." He dutifully followed his boss out of the diner.

"Real subtle, Zach," Hodgins said under his breath.

Angela stood up and Hodgins followed her lead. "On that note, we should go too, Booth," Angela said. "Remember what you promised me, Bren," she called out as they left.

Left alone now, Booth and Brennan sat in silence, neither knowing what to say. Finally Brennan spoke. "I'm... glad that everything worked out."

"Me too. Bones...about what I said in the courtroom--"

Brennan stood up abruptly. "I'm sorry. I did promise Angela I would talk to you, but I can't do this now. I...need time to think."

Booth tried to hide his disappointment. "I understand. Do you want me to take you to the lab?"

Brennan considered this. She should go to the lab; there was plenty of work waiting for her there. Yet the strain of the trial had left her exhausted. She needed to go home and rest. "No, just take me home."

XXXXXXXXXX

One silent, uncomfortable car ride later they arrived at Brennan's apartment."Can I walk you to your door?" Booth asked. Despite the tension, he was hesitant to let her go.

"Sure." _I was so rude to him at the diner_, Brennan thought. _It's the least I can do._

A few minutes later they were outside her door. "I guess I should go now," Booth said, feeling as awkward as a teenager on a first date. "See you later, Bones."

As she watched him walking down the hall, Brennan felt ashamed. He had tried to reach out to her and she had pushed him away. She couldn't let him leave without showing him how she felt. "Booth, wait!"

Alarmed by the panic in her voice, he rushed back to her door. He was about to ask her what was wrong when she enveloped him in a hug. Booth happily returned the embrace. _So I haven't totally screwed up our friendship, _he thought. _That's a relief._

Eventually the hug ended, as their hugs always did, but Booth sensed that something was different this time. Brennan had pulled back to face him but her arms were still at his sides. She was looking at him as if the answers to all of life's questions could be found in his eyes. Slowly she moved closer and closer to him until her lips met his.

For a few seconds, Booth wondered if he was hallucinating. Yet as the kiss went on, he decided, whether it was a hallucination or not, that he was going to enjoy it. While his lips tasted hers, his hands found his way into her soft hair. He had always worried that their first kiss would be a disappointment after fantasizing about it for so long, but he was wrong. It was everything he had imagined and so much more.

"Bones, I need to talk to you," he said when they reluctantly pulled away from each other to breathe. "Can I come in?"

Nodding, she led him into her apartment and they sat together on her couch. "I want you to know that I'm sorry I yelled at you for not telling me about Carter. I know you were only trying to protect me from myself. And you were right, I have kept things from you. From now on, I'm going to be completely honest with you. I'll start by saying that I have been in love with you for a long time now. I'm sorry that it took a murder trial for me to admit it. Believe me, I wanted to tell you in a traditional way."

Brennan laughed. "When have we ever done anything in a traditional way?"

Booth laughed along with her. "Good point. Seriously, though, if you don't love me back, it's okay. Obviously, I'd really like you to love me back, but I don't want to push you into a relationship if you don't want one."

"Maybe I do want one," she said. She saw Booth's eyes light up at her words. "But if we're being completely honest with each other, I have to tell you that the idea scares me. You know that I haven't had the best luck with relationships."

_That's putting it mildly. _"I know. You've had more than your fair share of bad luck. I can't blame you for being wary about love."

"It's not just that. What if it doesn't work out between us? I don't want to lose you, Booth. I wasn't crushed when Nathan died because I had never allowed myself to care for him. But if you ever left me, I'd..." She turned away from him so he wouldn't see her tears.

Booth put his hands on her cheeks, gently turning her back to him. "It would never happen. Never. Not even an exploding refrigerator could keep me away from you! I couldn't leave you, Bones. I don't want a life without you in it."

"I've never been in a relationship where I cared about the person as much as I care about you," Brennan admitted. "I don't think I know how."

"Then I'll teach you. You've taught me about bones and decomposing bodies; I can teach you about relationships...if you let me." _Please let me._

Brennan took his hands in hers and smiled at him. "Okay, you can teach me."

"Really? You're not just saying that because you think it's what I want to hear, are you?"

"No. I'm saying it because..." She paused, not sure if she could say the words. _But I have to say them._ _If Booth's brave enough to tell me how he feels, I can be brave too. _"Because I love you too."

_THANK YOU, GOD! _"Bones, that's the best thing I've ever heard."

"Better than hearing the murder charges against you had been dropped?" Brennan asked teasingly.

"So much better," Booth said with a grin. As his lips found hers again and he held her body against his, he promised himself that he would spend the rest of his life trying to make Bones as happy as he felt right now.

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. Off to work on the epilogue!**


	16. Epilogue

**AN: Once again I would like to thank CalleighAryn for her many wonderful suggestions (I wish that every writer could have such a thoughtful editor) and all my reviewers for their support. I took extra time on this to make sure the story ended well. Hope you enjoy!**

**AN2: This chapter contains some smut, but nothing too explicit.**

**Three Months Later**

"I knew you'd come to visit me." Sam Carter sat across from Booth in a prison interview room while a guard stood outside. "Dr. Brennan's already been here. You know, a lot of chicks are attracted to guys in prison; they like the whole bad boy image. I could tell she was hot for me."

_Bones didn't tell me she went to see Carter, _Booth thought. _Is he making that up to try to upset me? _When he noticed the cast on Carter's wrist, he had his answer. "Were you stupid enough to call Bones a 'chick' when she came to see you? Is that why she broke your wrist?"

Carter scowled. "No, one of my cell mates did that."

Booth knew he was lying now. "Uh huh. I understand that a tough guy like you wouldn't want to admit that a woman hurt him. On the other hand, you are a former cop in prison; I'm sure you're getting plenty of beatings," he said happily.

"Is that why you're here? You want to beat me up too so you can prove to yourself that you're a real man?"

_He's still trying to make me mad. _"As much fun as it would be to kick your ass, that's not why I came."

"Then what do you want?" Carter snapped. He was annoyed that Booth hadn't been angered by his earlier comment about Brennan.

"To thank you, of course," Booth answered, smiling broadly.

The smile infuriated Carter. He knew how he could wipe it off his face right now. "You want to thank me for killing Dr. Brennan's boyfriend because you weren't man enough to do it yourself. If it wasn't for me, they'd probably still be dating and you'd still be lusting after her on the sidelines, too weak to make your move. Now that Spencer's out of the way, you can go on pretending that you have a chance with her...at least until the next pretty boy comes along."

Booth laughed. _I'm not falling for it this time. You like pissing people off? Well, watch how an expert does it_. "You're wrong. I want to thank you for bringing Bones and me closer together. If it wasn't for you, Bones would still be just my partner. Thanks to you and the trial, though, she's now my partner and my _girlfriend_. Because of you, I hold her and touch her and kiss her whenever and wherever I want. Because of you, I fall asleep with her by my side. Some nights I like to watch her sleep and think about how lucky I am to have her in my life. Ours has been the best relationship I've ever had, and I owe it all to you. So the next time you and one of your new boyfriends decide to hook up on those nice, clean prison beds, I want you to remember that I'm making love to the most beautiful woman in the world...all because of you."

"You sonofabitch!" Carter yelled, lunging at him across the table. "She should have been MINE!"

Booth leapt up, brought his fist back, and punched him in the face as hard as he could, knocking him to the floor. He quickly walked around the table to see the damage he had inflicted. Carter's face was covered in blood and he was screaming like a baby. Booth had been dreaming about this moment since the day Carter had insulted Bones in the courtroom, but the reality was even more gratifying. He grinned as he stood over him. "She doesn't belong to anyone, least of all a bastard like you."

Carter yelled for the guard like an injured child calling for a parent. "Help! He broke my nose!"

"It was self-defense," Booth said when the guard entered the room. "He was going to attack me."

"I'm sure you did what you had to do," the guard said. "Are you alright, Agent Booth?"

Pain was shooting through his fingers, but he didn't care. It had been worth it. "His face hurt my fist a little, but I'll be okay." Leaning in close to Carter, he whispered, "I'll have Bones kiss it better tonight. One more thing before they drag your sorry ass out of here. If you have any fantasies about escaping from prison and going after Bones, know this: if you EVER come near her again, I'll break your nose again...along with every bone in your body." He turned to the guard. "We're done here."

The guard picked Carter off of the floor. With a satisfied smile, Booth watched him, sobbing and holding a hand over his bleeding nose, being led back to his cell. "You go have fun with your cell mates," Booth taunted. "I'm going to go see Bones."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You're looking very content today," Brennan observed when Booth swiped his key card to enter the platform. Angela stood beside her, showing her a sketch of their latest murder victim.

"I'm madly in love with a beautiful, intelligent woman," Booth said as he walked over to Brennan and kissed her cheek. "Of course I'm content."

"You guys are so cute," Angela said for the millionth time.

"And I also broke Carter's nose," Booth added cheerfully.

Angela let out an excited squeal and gave him a hug. "Way to go, Booth! It's about time! He was long overdue for an ass-kicking. I have a few more sketches to finish, but I expect to get all the details later." She left Booth and Brennan alone on the platform.

Brennan pretended to be upset by his news. "You shouldn't have done that. I don't want you getting in trouble again."

He flashed her the good old Seeley Booth charm smile. "Don't worry, Bones. It was self-defense. Carter tried to attack me, so I was merely protecting myself."

"What happened? Are you okay?" She asked anxiously.

He loved that she was concerned. "I gave him a taste of his own medicine. I messed with him just like he messed with me when he was on the stand. But I'm fine, he didn't even touch me."

"He's lucky. If he had hurt you, I'd have to break his other wrist, because no one messes with MY Booth." She gave him a playful pat on his rear.

"Thanks, Bones." He slid his arm around her waist. "So why didn't you tell me you broke his wrist in the first place? Why didn't you tell me you went to see him?"

Brennan had hoped to avoid this conversation. "I have to go. I have work to do."

She tried to walk away from him but he held onto her. "Your bones aren't going anywhere. Just tell me what happened."

She thought about trying to stall him, but she knew it was pointless. He would keep asking until she told him. "I went to see him a couple days ago. I wanted him to know how much he had failed. He said that I had come to visit him because a part of me was attracted to him, and that I secretly admired him for killing Nathan. Then he touched me with his creepy stalker/killer hands, so I did what I had to do."

_That's my girl. _"But why didn't you ask me to come with you?"

"You didn't ask me to come with _you_," she argued.

"I went to see him alone because I couldn't have said the things I had to say to provoke him if you had been in the room." _You would have kicked my ass for saying I could touch you whenever I wanted. _"Why did _you _go alone?"

"I was alone when he tried to blackmail me in my own apartment, and I was alone when he was waiting outside my door. I wanted to confront him alone so I could turn the tables on him and take charge of the situation. I don't need you to protect me all the time."

"I know that, and I understand that you're used to taking care of things on your own. But remember that you're not alone anymore. One of the great things about being in a relationship is that you have someone to support you whenever you need it. The next time you go confront a killer, you can ask me to watch your back."

"And you can ask me to watch your back the next time _you_ confront a killer," she countered.

"Deal," he said. "I've never had a girlfriend who could beat up a guy for me. It's kind of nice."

The word 'girlfriend' still sounded strange to her ears. "You'd do the same for me," she said, smiling at her partner. _No, not just my partner... my boyfriend_. "So did you come here today just to tell me about Carter's broken nose, or do we have a new case?"

"No new case. I actually came here to take you out to lunch."

"That's very kind of you, but I don't have the time." She slipped out of his grasp and walked over to an examining table. "I really do have a lot of work."

He followed her to the table. "I know you hate to stop to eat when you're really busy, but it's not healthy to skip meals. We'll get something quick, I promise." Seeing she was still unconvinced, he added: "If you come with me, I'll tell you how Carter wailed like a baby when I hit him." He smiled at her to seal the deal.

Brennan found it hard to say no to him when he smiled like that. "Just give me ten minutes to finish what I was working on."

XXXXXXXXXX

Twenty five minutes later they were on their way. "Sorry that took longer than I expected," Brennan said as they drove.

Booth had known it would. She was too dedicated to her job to rush an analysis. "Don't worry about it, Bones...you're worth waiting for. So do you want to eat at the diner, or do you have another place in mind? Are you craving anything in particular?"

His question brought a wicked grin to her lips. _I am hungry_, she realized as she admired his symmetrical features, _but not for food_. "Just you."

Booth was instantly aroused. He was always amazed at how much she could affect him with so few words. "Really?"

"Really," she said, putting her hand on his thigh. "Maybe we could go to my place and you could help me satisfy my craving."

Booth's mouth was suddenly dry. "That..uh...sounds good to me." Making an illegal U-turn, he sped towards her apartment.

"Can we turn the siren on?" Brennan asked.

She sounded like Parker, and Booth found himself using his parental tone. "Bones, the siren is not a toy. It's for official FBI business. I can't use it just because I can't wait to have sex with you."

"If you're going to drive this fast, it's only logical to use the siren," she reasoned.

_God help me, I can't deny her anything. _"Okay. Just this once." He reached for the button, but she swatted his hand away, wanting to push it herself.

With the siren now warning people to stay out of their way, they reached Brennan's apartment in record time.

XXXXXXXXXX

Normally Booth liked to take his time, wanting their lovemaking sessions to last as long as possible. Considering that they were on their lunch break, however, there was no time now for lengthy foreplay. He barely waited for the door of Bones' apartment to close behind them before capturing her mouth with his and attacking the buttons on her blouse.

When he had conquered the last button, he slid her blouse down her arms, letting it fall to the floor. He hastily unhooked her bra, dropping it beside her blouse, then moved on to her pants and underwear. He was tempted to stop for a moment to admire her in her nakedness, but she was already pulling him towards her bedroom, her nimble hands pulling off his clothes as they went.

Once they arrived in her bedroom, Booth gently pushed her onto the bed and positioned himself on top of her. By now he knew exactly how and where she needed to be touched, and he delighted in her moans as his hands and mouth caressed her skin. When she was ready, he thrust inside of her, moving at an almost frantic pace until they both achieved their release.

Booth collapsed onto the bed beside her. When he was able to speak again, he decided to ask her something that had been on his mind a lot lately. "Bones, do I make you happy?"

She smiled. "At the moment I would have to say that I'm extremely happy."

Smiling in return, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I'm glad to hear it. I promised myself when we first started dating that I would spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me."

"You don't need to try, Booth. You made me happy long before we started dating" Seeing that he needed more of an explanation, she continued. "Even with all our bickering and disagreements, I know at the end of the day that you're still my best friend, my one constant in a world of changing variables...and that makes me very happy indeed."

Her answer satisfied him as much as their lovemaking. "I love you so much," Booth said, gently stroking her hair.

"I love you too." Before Booth, the idea of romantic love had seemed ridiculous. Now she was a true believer.

"I guess we should get going," Booth said reluctantly, knowing that she would want to go back to the lab as soon as possible.

"We probably should. But do you mind if we stay like this for a few minutes?" She asked hopefully. "This feels too good. I can't bring myself to get up right now."

_I love that she never stops surprising me. _"Neither can I. " He pulled her closer to him. Over the past two years, the horrible crimes he and Bones had investigated had shown him just how ugly life could be. Yet now, as he held the woman he loved, he was reminded that life could be beautiful too. "I think the rest of the world can wait for a few more minutes."

FINIS

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated and loved. :)**


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